October 4-10, 2026
NEWS DIGEST
As they say, if your vote wasn’t valuable, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to stop you from voting. Have you made a plan yet? Find your state’s voting dates and mark your calendar to vote early. If voting by mail, mail your ballot as soon as you receive it or better yet, plan to drop it off at a secure dropbox location.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
Bipartisan majority of Americans blame Trump policies for rising costs, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds: Some 78% of Americans blame President Donald Trump's policies for rising prices that are outpacing their earnings, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that found majorities of Republicans and Democrats citing the cost of living as their top concern ahead of next month's midterm elections. Fifty-seven percent of Trump's Republicans said that costs have been growing faster than their paychecks, a stark example of how his pursuit of import tariffs, war with Iran and other policies have clashed with a central 2024 campaign promise to kill inflation and lower prices "on day one." REUTERS
Trump strikes deal with Putin to supply Russian diesel to U.S. and global markets: The Treasury Department temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel through April 2027 under a general license. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy immediately condemned Trump’s diesel deal with Putin. Zelenskyy warned that easing sanctions without a commitment from Russia to de-escalate will only prolong the war. CNBC
US 30-year mortgage rate hits highest in nearly three years: The interest rate on the most common US home loan jumped last week to its highest in almost three years, worsening affordability for buyers. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surged 19 basis points to 7.49% in the week ended October 2, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday. It was last higher in November 2023. REUTERS
Rural Data Centers Are in for a Big Federal Tax Break: Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, data center projects in rural areas could be eligible for major tax benefits starting next year. Some hyperscalers do not seem eager to take the free cash. WIRED
CORRUPTION ALERT
Congress’ Watchdog Finds Trump Illegally Withheld More Than $1 Billion in Federal Funds: Congress’s watchdog arm has found that the Trump administration illegally withheld federal funds last year from federal government programs at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. In 2025, the Trump administration prevented the two agencies from distributing more than $1 billion appropriated by Congress through prohibitions known as impoundments, according to two decisions the Government Accountability Office sent to Congress. WASHINGTON SUN
‘Honey Please’: Kimberly Guilfoyle Pushed Donor to Wire $100,000 to Her Amex Account: Days before her confirmation hearing last year, U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle asked one of President Trump’s donors to wire $100,000 to her American Express account, The Wall Street Journal reported. “You could just send it here. It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” she wrote to Eric Deters on Signal, the Journal reported. “Please.”
Kristi Noem’s Agency Gave Her Donor a Lucrative Contract Just Before She Left: In the last hours of Kristi Noem’s tenure as the homeland security secretary, her agency delivered a windfall to one of her political donors by buying five airplanes from the man’s firm at a substantial markup, documents show. The Department of Homeland Security agreed to pay the donor’s firm $108 million for a Boeing 737 airliner converted into a massive private jet, complete with a stand-up bar, two bedrooms, marble showers, and a table covered in manta ray skin. NYT
Bolivia jails prosecutor investigating Trump operative Cerimedo on Washington’s orders: Bolivian police arrested Attorney General Roger Mariaca late Wednesday night at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz, less than 48 hours after the Trump administration revoked his US visa and accused him of taking bribes from drug traffickers. Mariaca was leading the case against Fernando Cerimedo, the Argentine political operative tied to Donald Trump’s inner circle. WSWS
Trump administration starts sending $500 Obamacare refund checks — who stands to benefit: Just before the elections, in a video posted on X last month announcing the initiative, President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that the Biden administration sat on a pool of unused surplus money. An administration official told ABC News on Thursday that the primary recipients of the checks will be people with incomes "above" 400% of the federal poverty level. ABC
DESI NEWS
Kashmiri filmmaker Arfat Sheikh released from US ICE detention: Award-winning Kashmiri filmmaker Arfat Sheikh was released from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention on bond on Thursday after being detained on September 24, according to a statement by a campaign of his friends and relatives to free him. Sheikh, whose work has explored conflict in his native India-administered Kashmir, was detained by ICE, part of the Department of Homeland Security, while coming off a plane from California at the Washington Dulles International Airport, the campaign said. REUTERS
US Bars Microsoft, Indian Firms From Visa Program in Blow: The Trump administration accused Microsoft Corp., Adobe Inc. and a half-dozen other companies of abusing a US worker visa program and suspended them indefinitely from a longstanding immigration initiative that’s served as a crucial talent pipeline for Silicon Valley and Wall Street. The suspensions, announced Thursday by Vice President JD Vance and Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, also targeted information technology services giants Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Infosys Ltd., Tata, Wipro Ltd., HCL Technologies Ltd. and Capgemini SE. BLOOMBERG LAW CNBC
Former ICC judge Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize: Navi Pillay, a former South African ICC judge of Indian origin who oversaw a UN report that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday "for her efforts to promote peace and international law". REUTERS
SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY
Trump Admin Gears Up for Post-Midterm Crackdown on Abortion Drug: The Trump Justice Department has mapped out its coming attack on mifepristone — much thirsted for by anti-abortion advocates, but deliberately delayed to avoid midterm backlash — in a new court filing. TPM
Newsletter courtesy of They See Blue (theyseeblue.org)
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