Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

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Trump says Ukraine should get a new president as he blames Zelenskyy for US diesel prices

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday it was time for Ukraine to get a new president, suggesting Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not done enough to end his country’s war with Russia and blaming him for high diesel prices in the U.S.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-trump-putin-diesel-228ccf74b2848c1ff0ac23f038b37512?

ps:Eventually his true colors about Russia always come out!!!!!

Trump weighs joining the fight against Houthis after Saudi capital's airport is struck again

The international airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, was attacked again Saturday as the kingdom faces an extraordinary series of assaults in the new front in the Iran war. President Donald Trump said he was evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes against the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen. Read More.   Vance expresses doubts about Pentagon plan to livestream Fort Hood shooter’s execution HEBRON, Ky. (AP) — Vice President JD Vance cast doubt Friday on whether the Pentagon will livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan in December but told reporters that if it is livestreamed, “I’m not going to be watching it.” https://apnews.com/article/fort-hood-execution-hegseth-vance-e806a305d9c6460aa20b14e40047680e?

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🇺🇦 Trump demands new Ukraine leader

President Trump called yesterday for Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelensky with someone willing to make a deal with Russia to end the war.

• Why it matters: Trump's attack on Zelensky, which came after the Ukrainian president criticized his diesel deal with Russia, signals the most serious crisis between the two leaders since their February 2025 meeting exploded in front of cameras, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

👀 Trump said Zelensky could have reached a deal with Russia many times "but chooses not to."

• "I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal," Trump told reporters yesterday. "… And I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president."

He said he asked Zelensky to stop attacking Russian oil refineries and claimed Zelensky's actions harmed American farmers.

• "He better damn well stop," Trump said.

🏛️ What we're watching: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) vowed yesterday to force a House vote to block Russian oil purchases, challenging the diesel deal, Axios' Andrew Solender and Andrew Pantazi report.

• Fitzpatrick, co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, said he would introduce the "Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act" and force a vote through a discharge petition.

ps:What a wimp! He can't or wont standup to putin so he needs to get rid of Zelensky!!

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Republicans face midterm backlash from factory workers squeezed out of jobs by Trump's tariffs

Nelson Vandermeer voted Republican for decades but balked at supporting President Donald Trump, fearing that the Republican's plan for tariffs on imports would hurt workers more than help. Read More.   Six senators call for Trump administration to 'immediately reverse course' on Russian diesel plan A bipartisan group of six senators on Sunday called for President Donald Trump's administration to “immediately reverse course” on a plan to purchase diesel from Russia as part of an effort to lower high fuel prices. Read More.   AP source: Trump, Rubio weigh firing U.S. envoy to Greece after mounting reports of improper conduct President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. Read More.

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Judge orders the Trump administration to cancel taxpayer-funded promotional TV ads

President Donald Trump must cancel any remaining television commercials paid for with millions of dollars in taxpayer money to promote his political message, a federal judge ordered Sunday night, even as the administration said the ad campaign was coming to an end.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-tv-ads-f845554063cea0b4b41275d32abd3633?

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Advocates blast Trump campaign against in-state tuition for immigrants

WASHINGTON — Leading immigration advocates and experts sounded the alarm Wednesday on the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to undo state laws allowing some immigrants to pay in-state college tuition in the states where they reside. 

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/09/repub/advocates-blast-trump-campaign-against-in-state-tuition-for-immigrants/?

Trump expresses doubts about livestreaming execution

President Trump has privately shared misgivings about livestreaming the firing-squad execution of a former Army major who murdered 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas, Axios' Marc Caputo reports from conversations with four people who have spoken with the president.

• Why it matters: Trump has been deluged with "negative input" about the Pentagon plan from a bipartisan chorus of lawmakers as well as advisers inside and outside of his White House, a senior administration official said.

Trump told one confidant, who doesn't work in the administration and shared the comment with Axios, that a livestream of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan's execution on Dec. 3 "might not happen."

• "He didn't sound particularly enthusiastic" about webcasting the execution, the source said. "That's why he's calling around, doing the Trump thing, asking people what they think."
• An administration official told Caputo: "If I had to bet, I would bet the president doesn't authorize this ... But I'm not gonna get ahead of the boss and try to predict what he'll do."

Zoom in: Hasan faces a firing squad at Fort Hood, where he went on his murderous shooting rampage 17 years ago. He'd be the first person in the U.S. whose execution would be livestreamed.

• The idea was roundly condemned domestically and internationally. In the ensuing days, Trump started to publicly shift his positions.

At first, Trump was full-throated in his support. "Absolutely, I approve," Trump told reporters early Friday evening.

• Later that night, Trump was more nuanced: "They want to do that because they want to set an example. I wasn't involved in that decision, but I understand the decision."
• On Saturday, Trump took control by telling reporters at the White House that he'll have the final say: "There are two thoughts: Don't show it and show it. 'Cause you know, by showing it, maybe other people won't be doing what he did. So I'll make a decision, ultimately. I know what the military would like to do, but we'll make a decision."

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🛢️ Trump's refinery-for-refinery deal

President Trump's announcement yesterday about an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine referred to a potential deal that includes each side stopping attacks on oil refineries — and he expects Volodymyr Zelensky to abide by it, a White House official told Axios' Barak Ravid.

• The official said if attacks on oil refineries cease, a deal to stop hitting power plants and energy grids could come next.

Why it matters: Trump appears to be single-handedly trying to will a partial ceasefire into existence. But for now, Russia hasn't accepted any kind of ceasefire — and Ukraine wants one that forbids attacks on power plants.

👀 Reality check: The "refinery for refinery" proposal, as the official dubbed it, is lopsided.

• A Ukrainian official told Axios that the country has a single oil refinery, which the Russians have attacked multiple times and isn't fully functional. Russia, by contrast, has a vast network of refineries.
• Six senators, including four Republicans, have called on Trump to "immediately reverse course" on the plan.

Read on.

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🇬🇷 Trump may fire Guilfoyle

President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are "extremely pissed off" and are considering firing U.S. ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports, backed partly by embarrassing text and Signal messages, alleging she shook down donors, AP's Matt Lee reports.

• Guilfoyle is a former Fox News host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Trump's son, Donald Jr.

📱 The Wall Street Journal reported that just before her confirmation hearing, she offered to use her administration connections in return for payment of a $100,000 American Express bill. "Honey please I need you to get this done for me today," she texted, adding a prayer hands emoji and a PDF with Amex payment instructions.

• A Saturday follow-up by the Journal is headlined, "At Davos, Kimberly Guilfoyle Boasted of Private Jet Trips, Luxury Stays: Recording captures U.S. ambassador saying Greek businessmen were paying for her travels and pleading for an invite to an event with Eric Trump."

In a statement last night, her lawyers denied she had done anything wrong and claimed that the money she was seeking from the Trump donor was payment for services — public appearances and speaking engagements that predate her ambassadorial nomination — that had not been paid.

• The lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, said: "Ambassador Guilfoyle has served, and will continue to serve, with integrity, honor and distinction."

Get the latest.

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Agents search Rep. Omar’s Washington home in criminal probe as she vows she won’t ‘be silenced’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents on Monday searched the home of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a startling escalation in a criminal investigation that brings renewed focus to the frequent target of Trump administration derision in the final weeks of her reelection bid.

https://apnews.com/article/ilhan-omar-home-searched-8e18c2aea948bd90f4d7a4eb32b9ec3a?

Federal judge orders Trump administration to halt work for a day on historic DC golf course

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Monday ordered a 24-hour halt to tree-cutting at the East Potomac Golf Course, a historic D.C. course that has been part of President Donald Trump’s plans to remake the city.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-golf-course-dc-judge-fdf4667378e21a8bd7fced6a80258ec8?

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Trump's diesel deal poses Putin problem

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Suzanne Plunkett/Getty Images Republicans already saddled with Trump's unpopular policies in the midterms now face another awkward choice: whether to back his diesel deal with a dictator many of them despise, Axios' Andrew Pantazi reports. The big picture: The deal — which calls for Russia to supply diesel to U.S. and global markets — packs some of the GOP's biggest liabilities into one decision: the Iran war's economic fallout, the party's split over Russia, and a president determined to make the election about himself. Energy analysts also doubt it will do much for diesel prices, which average $6.27 a gallon today, up 71% from a year earlier. 😡 Several Republican lawmakers criticized the deal over the weekend. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told NBC News' "Meet the Press" that it may violate a law requiring the White House to notify Congress before lifting sanctions. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) vowed to force a House vote blocking the oil purchases. Yes, but: Some Republicans, like Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, backed the arrangement. The White House pushed back on criticism of Trump's record. White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Axios: "President Trump has consistently proven his doubters wrong." A senior administration official said Trump is "laser-focused on bringing down costs, whether it's diesel with the Russians or importing Argentine beef. Some people might not like it, but he's thinking of what Americans are paying and what he can do about it." Go deeper.

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Musk's midterm millions

Elon Musk and President Trump speak to reporters at the White House last month. Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times Elon Musk has quietly become the biggest known donor in this year's midterm elections, doling out more than $276 million since July to try to save Republican majorities in Congress. Chart: The New York Times The money includes $158 million given to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates, one of the largest known political donations in American history, the N.Y. Times' Teddy Schleifer first reported. Go deeper.

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What to know about the search of Ilhan Omar’s home Federal agents searched Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C. home on Monday, only three weeks before the frequent target of President Donald Trump’s criticism stands for reelection in her congressional district in Minnesota. Read more.

What to know: Trump has not been shy about wanting to use federal law enforcement to target his perceived political enemies. Omar, a left-wing firebrand, has been a longtime target of Trump and Republicans in general. The agents who searched Omar’s home were Homeland Security investigators, indicating the investigation regards immigration issues. The Department of Justice on Monday was typically tight-lipped, giving few details about the case other than saying it was a criminal investigation. In a statement on X on Monday, Omar called the search an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump attacks immigrants from Somalia and Haiti while rallying in Ohio for Republican candidates Trump says he cares for Americans. They think he’s more focused on his wealth, an AP-NORC poll finds FACT FOCUS: Posts falsely claim Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico was at a mental facility Many GOP states have imposed new voting rules this year, some mirroring Trump’s midterm proposals Mamdani orders a review of NYPD’s use-of-force policies as progressives call for greater change Federal judge orders Trump administration to halt work for a day on historic DC golf course

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Trump appoints committee to revive quest to remove Lisa Cook from Fed board

President Donald Trump has formed a White House committee to investigate Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, escalating even further a lengthy feud with the Federal Reserve Board member.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/trump-appoints-committee-to-revive-quest-to-remove-lisa-cook-from-fed-board/?

ps:How pathetic!!

Trump may backtrack on livestreamed execution of Fort Hood shooter

President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to leave open the possibility that the federal government won’t livestream a military execution planned for December that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said would be public.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/trump-may-backtrack-on-livestreamed-execution-of-fort-hood-shooter/?

Trump heads West in latest swing to bolster GOP in rocky lead-up to midterms

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump this week will journey out West in an effort to galvanize support for Republican candidates three weeks before the midterm elections and convince voters to support his party amid low presidential approval ratings.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/trump-heads-west-in-latest-swing-to-bolster-gop-in-rocky-lead-up-to-midterms/?

US senators from both parties blast Trump order to import Russian diesel as illegal

The Trump administration’s order to allow import of Russian diesel violates a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports while the country’s war with Ukraine is ongoing, according to a bipartisan group of U.S. senators.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/us-senators-from-both-parties-blast-trump-order-to-import-russian-diesel-as-illegal/?

US House Dem leaders condemn Homeland Security raid on home of Rep. Ilhan Omar

WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders in the U.S. House condemned a “deeply disturbing” raid early Monday at the District of Columbia home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who has long been a target of verbal attacks by President Donald Trump and Republicans.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/12/repub/us-house-dem-leaders-condemn-homeland-security-raid-on-home-of-rep-ilhan-omar/?

Trump’s ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigns after allegations of improper conduct

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House publicly asked for U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle’s resignation on Tuesday as she faced mounting accusations of improper conduct, and she announced within two hours that she was quitting, ending days of talk and speculation about her professional fate. Guilfoyle insisted that she would “vigorously defend” herself.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-ambassador-greece-guilfoyle-9da9d2e50e18bccc38946404c1ca756f?

ps:Such a pathetic administration!!!!!

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Hard to Believe

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Donald Trump is the quantum president: simultaneously all-powerful and also a wee, innocent figurehead, blithely unaware of what his aides are doing.

The first Trump, the one who declares that he “alone can fix it,” was in the Oval Office last week, asserting his unfettered power to persecute his political opponents. “I could have done very bad things to Hillary Clinton. I could have done very, very bad things to Joe Biden. I could have done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama,” he said. “I can do whatever I want, if I want.” But after federal law enforcement conducted a search at the Washington, D.C., home of Representative Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota Democrat, yesterday morning, Trump insisted he was completely uninvolved.

Without more information, the search—conducted by agents from Homeland Security Investigations, a division of ICE that handles complicated probes—is deeply troubling. The Trump administration has deployed a series of probes, searches, and indictments, many of which are plainly pretextual or political, against outspoken critics. (This is a crucial distinction from an August 2022 search at Mar-a-Lago, which yielded many boxes of highly sensitive material, haphazardly stored.) Black women, including Representative LaMonica McIver of New Jersey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, have been particular but not exclusive targets. The search also breaks a norm against public action in highly political cases in the 60 days before an election. Attempts to intimidate or criminalize an opposition party are hallmarks of authoritarianism.

There is much about the search that we do not know, including what evidence was used to obtain the warrant (though The New York Times reports it “was the subject of significant back and forth between prosecutors and the federal judge who eventually approved it”); what agents might have found; and what charges, if any, the government might be contemplating. Some reporting states that prosecutors are exploring whether Omar’s late father lied or made omissions on immigration applications. (The administration has focused on trying to strip citizenship from people who gave false responses on applications.) The congresswoman came to the United States as a child and became a naturalized citizen at 17.

To hear Trump tell it, he also knows little about the probe. “I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ,” Trump said yesterday. “I have nothing to do with it.” (The Department of Justice told the Times that the search was part of an ongoing investigation but declined to comment further.) This is a pattern I previously identified: When faced with difficult questions or strong pushback, the president tends to insist that the lawyers are in charge and he’s not apprised of what’s going on.

But his claim is hard to believe. Trump has repeatedly said that he has a “right” to direct federal prosecutors to investigate whomever he wishes, and although he generally insists that he has not done so, evidence suggests otherwise. Last September, Trump posted on Truth Social instructing then–Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against critics, including James, former FBI Director James Comey, and Senator Adam Schiff. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” he wrote. Several news outlets later reported that the missive was intended as a private message. Bondi was removed this spring, reportedly because of Trump’s frustration that his attempts at retribution were moving too slowly.

In February, FBI agents searched an election center in Fulton County, Georgia, in pursuit of evidence for Trump’s assertion that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. (Their warrant was largely based on debunked claims.) The following day, Trump spoke directly to some of the agents involved, an extraordinary intervention.

Comey was ultimately charged with threatening the president, after he posted a photograph of shells he found on a beach that read 86 47, a set of numbers that supporters have said connotes wanting to remove Trump from office. DOJ has insisted the post was a threat of violence (which Comey has denied). Documents released by Comey’s lawyers this summer show that Trump was closely involved in the case, demanding briefings and notes from interviews with Comey prior to his indictment.

Adding to the impression that the Omar case is a White House effort, Katie Miller, the former Trump aide and the wife of Stephen Miller, posted about the story on X yesterday, saying, “Promise made, promise kept.” She later deleted the post.

But even if Trump is not personally engaged, he has made clear through his statements that he wants Omar investigated and punished. In 2019, he suggested that members of the progressive “Squad,” which included Omar, should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” A few days later, after he criticized Omar at a rally, he watched as a crowd chanted, “Send her back!” In December, he called Omar “garbage” and said that Somalis should leave the U.S: “Their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country.” The next month, when Omar was attacked at an event, Trump accused her of setting it up. This March, Vice President Vance told an interviewer, “We actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud.” The message from the White House is clear enough to make King Henry II blush.

If Trump is as engaged in prosecutions of his political opponents as public evidence indicates, then his behavior is inappropriate and damaging to the rule of law. If, however, he truly knows nothing about what’s going on, then he’s not the heroic, powerful leader he claims to be. Which would he prefer the public conclude?

Related:

• Trump is hiding behind his lawyers.
• Trump shrugs off the Ilhan Omar attack.

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Trump's Russian roulette

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg and Gavriil Grigorov/pool/AFP, via Getty Images

President Trump is indulging his fondness for Vladimir Putin at a moment of acute political peril, forcing Republicans in the midterms to take cover as he showers Moscow with one-sided concessions, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: With just three weeks until the election, Trump is rekindling a decade-long, scandal-scarred relationship with a dictator reviled by most Americans — including his own supporters. 🔎 Zoom in: Since speaking with Putin on Friday, Trump has embarked on a remarkable five-day campaign of diplomatic concessions and cover for Russia — sparking bipartisan blowback just as voters prepare to cast their ballots. On Friday, Trump announced a deal to unleash millions of tons of Russian diesel onto global markets, easing sanctions designed to starve Moscow's war revenues. On Saturday, Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for striking Russian refineries and demanded that Kyiv replace its leader. On Sunday, Trump blindsided Zelensky by declaring an immediate "energy ceasefire." Russia has continued attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure, with no apparent consequences from Washington. On Monday, Trump dismissed months of intelligence-based reports that Russia was enabling Iran's war effort by supplying information about U.S. military assets. Yesterday, Trump doubled down on the diesel deal and brushed off concerns that the proceeds could finance Russia's war machine, even as GOP senators labeled it a "betrayal" and "a gift to our adversary." Between the lines: The benefits to Russia are clear. Far less apparent is what Trump's concessions accomplish for American security, European allies or his own political fortunes. For America: Energy analysts doubt the diesel deal will meaningfully ease fuel prices sent soaring by the Iran war. For Europe: Washington is breaking ranks with a NATO alliance confronting a historic threat environment, as Russia escalates its hybrid campaign of sabotage, cyberattacks and drone incursions. For Republicans: With control of Congress hanging in the balance, Trump is embracing a dictator viewed unfavorably by 81% of his own 2024 voters, according to a January YouGov poll. 🖼️ The big picture: Trump's warm relationship with Putin has haunted his political career since 2016, when Russia interfered in the presidential election to help him defeat Hillary Clinton. A decade of investigations, scandals and Washington outrage has done little to shake that affinity. If anything, the scrutiny appears to have hardened Trump's determination to defy the foreign-policy consensus. ps:PATHETIC

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☎️ Bibi, Trump discuss attack

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis and Win McNamee/Getty Images.

Axios' Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo write: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump last week discussed the possibility of launching a major new operation against Iran before the Israeli and U.S. elections, according to two U.S. officials, one Israeli official and a fourth source with knowledge of the matter. Netanyahu said during the call that he was concerned about Israeli intelligence indicating Iran was taking troubling steps to reconstitute its nuclear program, according to the Israeli official. The Israeli leader's call with Trump about the possible attack took place before Trump said he would not strike Iran ahead of the midterms. Why it matters: Resuming major combat operations in Iran would inject a volatile new issue into the Oct. 27 Israeli elections and the U.S. midterms a week later. 👀 Behind the scenes: An Israeli official said Trump initially seemed to be leaning toward resuming attacks, but then grew more hesitant. A U.S. official said Trump has been going back and forth on the issue. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the leadership of U.S. Central Command are the strongest backers of resuming strikes in Iran, a source familiar with the discussions said. Most of Trump's advisers favor keeping up economic sanctions and other forms of pressure for now. Keep reading. ps:2 despicable people, at least one of them had a good reputation until he met trump and than it was downhill from there!!!!!