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

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🎤 Trump targets briefing room

The White House swimming pool, shown here in 1940, was later covered over to make room for the press briefing room. Photo: Bettmann Archive via Getty Images President Trump is pushing aides to evict the press from the White House and has talked about replacing the briefing room with an indoor swimming pool, The New York Times' Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan write. Trump pitched the idea to former Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in one of her final meetings with him in the Oval Office, telling her it'd be her "last legacy." Via Truth Social Trump has "told aides he would prefer to bring back the indoor pool President Franklin D. Roosevelt added in 1933 as therapy for his polio-afflicted legs; President Richard Nixon later covered it over to make room for the news media." Keep reading (gift link). ✈️ CNN is threatening further legal action against the Trump administration for denying its journalists access to Air Force One. The White House continues to bar the network from the pool that travels with the president. Keep reading.

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Trump and Vance announce $25M whistleblower program to encourage public to report alleged fraud

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-whistleblower-vance-cc7c155c06cbab74d423911c36f5ac78?

ps:Seriously? After making a roar about whistle blowers?? He's now OK with whistleblowers??? Pathetic!!!!!

White House tensions rise ahead of midterms

As President Donald Trump fights to preserve Republican control of Congress, those closest to him are bracing for the possibility of a crushing defeat. Behind the scenes, administration officials and allies describe a White House increasingly consumed by infighting, finger-pointing and fears of a sweeping personnel shake-up if Republicans suffer major losses.

Meanwhile, on the campaign trail, Trump is doubling down on familiar themes: suggesting that American civilization is under threat and casting the election as a battle to defend White, Christian culture. At a rally in Kansas this week, he warned that Americans must protect their heritage from those who seek to destroy it, while also invoking racially charged rhetoric and Islamophobic paranoia.

It’s a return to the grievance politics that helped propel him to the presidency — even as many voters demand answers on the soaring cost of everyday life, from expensive groceries and gas to the rising cost of housing. Election Day on November 3 will offer some real insight into the staying power of Trump’s culture-focused message.

+ Read more: Trump officials brace for potential post-midterms presidential rampage

+ New CNN poll: Trump’s approval rating hits a new low

+ For subscribers: The president’s increasingly dark rhetoric is shocking — even for him

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Russia frees detained 74-year-old American

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American detained in Russia for more than four years, has been released following a visit by US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The retired Michigan teacher had been designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department, and President Trump said Tuesday that he had raised his case with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff’s visit also included talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway on Tuesday that made “meaningful progress,” according to a US official.

+ Read more: Who is Stephen Hubbard? And why was he detained?

+ Plus: US envoy Witkoff lands in Russia for talks with Putin

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Trump renews call for New Mexico name change

President Donald Trump on Monday took to social media to renew his call for New Mexico to be renamed New America.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/20/repub/trump-renews-call-for-new-mexico-name-change/?

Trump’s DOJ steps up pressure on California over noncitizen voters 2 weeks from election

The U.S. Department of Justice is intensifying its campaign against voter fraud with a spree of arrests in the final weeks before Election Day, an effort that voting rights advocates warn risks instilling fear among voters.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/20/repub/trumps-doj-steps-up-pressure-on-california-over-noncitizen-voters-2-weeks-from-election/?

Russia agrees to resume three-way talks on Ukraine war with Kyiv and Washington, Kremlin says

Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations next month with Washington and Kyiv aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, a Kremlin official said, potentially setting up the first such talks since February.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-witkoff-putin-trump-zelenskyy-talks-3f00c0c6fd10bab948c2c3f8502e0a91?

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US-Russia Relations Thaw

Russia has released American Stephen James Hubbard after nearly five years in prison on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. The deal, announced during a top US envoy's visit yesterday, appears to signal warming ties between Washington and Moscow. The news follows President Donald Trump's decisions this month to import Russian diesel and pause new sanctions (read previous write-up). Unlike previous prisoner releases, the US did not have to free anyone in exchange for Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher who was the last American in Russia considered wrongfully detained by the State Department (what's his full story?). Putin also agreed yesterday to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine as soon as next month. The last round took place in February, shortly before the US and Israel launched the Iran war.  Separately, Ukraine says the US has resumed sharing early-warning intelligence on Russian ballistic missile attacks after reportedly restricting it last week in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.

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Vance's whine-free zone

Vice President Vance speaks at a rally yesterday in Sharonville, Ohio. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images Vice President Vance's call for fellow Republicans to "stop whining" about Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial attack ad in Ohio's race for governor showed a key part of his political mindset ahead of his expected run for president in 2028: Never back down. Why it matters: Channeling President Trump, Vance has shown contempt for what he sees as the old-guard GOP's reflex to cave under pressure from Democrats and the media, Axios' Alex Isenstadt writes. Vance thinks too many Republicans sacrifice allies to make controversies go away, and that giving critics a political scalp only encourages them to demand another, according to people familiar with his thinking. It's an approach with some risk — namely whether Vance, entering a critical period in his political career, has the political muscle to get away with Trump's no-apologies approach. 🔎 Zoom in: Vance defended Ramaswamy yesterday amid bipartisan outrage over an ad featuring the estranged mother of Ramaswamy's Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. In the deeply personal ad, Acton's mother calls her daughter a liar, and says Ohioans shouldn't vote for her for governor. Not mentioned in the ad: Acton and her brother were removed from the mother's care as children after Acton accused her stepfather of sexual abuse. Her mother sided with the stepfather, leading to an estrangement that has lasted nearly 50 years. Vance said he was "disgusted" by fellow Republicans criticizing it, telling them to "stop whining." Asked whether the ad was appropriate, Vance said it was "not really my concern," and that politics is tough. The other side: Republicans and Democrats have criticized the ad, saying it crossed a moral line. "I would not have run that ad," U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who appeared alongside Vance and Ramaswamy at the rally, told AP. ps:Once again this administration shows just how pathetic it is!!!!!

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Trump's war problems surge

Traffic passes portraits of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran yesterday. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images Twelve days from midterms, President Trump can't escape the unpopular Iran war, which continues to dominate news coverage. Yesterday alone: The U.S. and Israeli militaries have drawn up specific plans for renewed strikes on Iran after Election Day, with targets that likely would include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities and missile and drone arsenal, the N.Y. Times reports. Russian President Vladimir Putin told White House envoy Steve Witkoff he "agrees in principle" to resume trilateral peace talks with Ukraine and the U.S. to end the war, Russian and U.S. officials told Axios' Barak Ravid. The White House hopes Putin will show more willingness to compromise after Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Russian diesel sales and took other steps welcomed by Moscow. For now, it seems the only concession Putin agreed to is to negotiate. More from Barak. Putin has never been so close to his goal of normalizing relations with the U.S. "without having to make any compromises on Ukraine," as The Times puts it. The State Department said it ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees to depart Saudi Arabia, "following an uptick in attacks on the kingdom by Iran-backed Houthi militants. The U.S. military has also been quietly reducing its footprint at posts in the Middle East due to ongoing regional threats from the Houthis and direct threats from Iran," CBS News reports. 🛢️ The big picture: Oil prices are still high (the national average for a gallon of regular is $4.27 today) and stock market futures are shaky due partly to war fears.

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⚠️ Least popular in 80 years

Graphic: The New York Times President Trump has the lowest approval rating for any president before a midterm since Harry Truman and the Democrats were routed in 1946, The New York Times' Nate Cohn writes. The final national Times-Siena poll before the election puts Trump's approval rating at 34% — down three points from last month. Graphic: The New York Times Likely voters preferred Democratic congressional candidates in their districts by 11 points. Keep reading (gift link). 🗳️ Sabato's Crystal Ball moved 28 House races toward Democrats, pushing the number of seats at least leaning their way to 223 — five more than the 218 needed for a majority. ❎ Turnout for early voting is soaring in many of the states that are expected to decide control of the Senate in next month's midterms, including Texas, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio, AP reports.

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⚡ Politico corrects after White House threat

The White House counsel's office warned Politico in a Monday letter that it had 48 hours to retract or correct three recent stories about alleged staff drama, or it would suffer unspecified consequences, Axios' Marc Caputo writes.

• Last night, Politico posted a correction to one of the stories, originally posted last Friday: "An earlier version of this report, including its headline, mischaracterized the role White House chief of staff Susie Wiles played in then-press secretary Katie Zacharia's interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News. POLITICO's follow-up reporting indicates she did not play a direct role in setting up the interview."

Last week's headline: "Susie Wiles helped set up Fox interview ahead of press secretary's exit."

• The new headline: "Susie Wiles 'offered positive reinforcement' for press secretary's Fox News interview ahead of her exit."
• Over the weekend, the New York Post reported that internal White House texts show five-day press secretary Katie Zacharia had personally pushed to go on TV ahead of the disastrous Sean Hannity interview. The Post reported that Zacharia texted a White House official: "I'd like to do news hits morning and evening."

📝 The big picture: The White House demand threatens to escalate already tense relations with Politico specifically and, more generally, the press corps that covers President Trump in Washington.

• Trump last month banned Politico, CNN and MS NOW from covering him in the Oval Office and on Air Force One. This week, CNN threatened further legal action to regain access to Air Force One.
• Trump also blocked all three outlets from the White House grounds, but a judge restored their access on Oct. 13.

🔮 What's next: White House Counsel Will Scharf didn't specify what consequences Politico faces. But a White House official said "all options are on the table" and described Trump's counsel as "uncharacteristically enraged."

• Trump is highly litigious with media organizations and, advisers say, his appetite for launching lawsuits hasn't diminished.

Politico didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

• More on the stories.

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Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall says the Ukraine war, not the Iran war, has caused high diesel prices

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall said Wednesday that Ukraine’s war with Russia — and not the U.S. war with Iran — was to blame for high diesel prices that have imperiled his party’s control of Congress in the midterm elections.

https://apnews.com/article/senate-kansas-marshall-hamilton-diesel-ukraine-iran-b7f291bfc4271dd14b07533ca33129bd?

ps:He must be the only one that believes that?????

Dems sue Trump, alleging election interference, as DOJ battles with California

National Democrats are suing President Donald Trump, accusing his administration of intimidating election officials and asking a federal court to block him from interfering in the midterm elections.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/21/repub/dems-sue-trump-alleging-election-interference-as-doj-battles-with-california/?

Trump backs Ramaswamy on ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The backlash over an Ohio campaign advertisement attacking Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, spread beyond the state’s borders Thursday, causing fresh headaches for Republicans with less than two weeks until the midterm elections.

https://apnews.com/article/election-2026-ohio-governor-acton-mother-ramaswamy-de2aec0076776539cd206f91d39d0236?

ps:Of course he would!!

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• 🌊 President Trump said last night that he would "probably pass" on renaming the Atlantic Ocean after Google CEO Sundar Pichai asked him not to do so. Google Maps and similar services have adopted Trump's rebrandings of the Gulf of Mexico ("Gulf of America") and Lake Ontario ("Lake America") for U.S. users. Go deeper.

ps:Well ain't that nice of him!

• 👩‍⚖️ A federal judge ordered President Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC over an edit of one of his speeches. Go deeper.

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The Possibility of Escalation

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President Trump has been hearing lately from two trusted confidants, each promising a quick path to ending the war in Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has argued that Iran is on the brink of economic collapse and that a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, combined with sanctions, will force Tehran to capitulate at the negotiation table. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a series of calls with Trump, has offered a different route: one more round of devastating U.S. and Israeli strikes to topple the regime. Now the Trump administration appears to be considering combining the two approaches, betting that Iran is already on the verge of economic ruin and that a few more major strikes will be enough to trigger regime change.

The president is considering reviving his military campaign against Iran with several days of strikes, likely just after the midterm elections, officials told us. The potential targets include Iran’s missile and drone arsenal as well as its energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities. One outside adviser told us that “the economic pressure is working, and we believe Iran is getting close to the edge.” The new strikes, the person added, “would push them over.”

Experience suggests that this may be wishful thinking. Economic pressure has badly weakened Iran, but the country’s negotiating position has hardly budged. Trump has thought before that Iran was on the verge of ruin—or already past it—only to discover that he’d miscalculated. And launching more strikes could spark a regional escalation without bringing the regime any closer to surrender. Speaking at Tehran’s Holy Defence Museum earlier this week, Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, named seven major fiber-optic cables beneath the surface of the Strait of Hormuz as potential “new targets” and teased that future attacks would feature “new weapons.” If the proposed U.S. strike plan fails to bring Iran to its knees, Tehran could emerge even less willing to make concessions.

“Trump is desperate to find some options to take him out from this problematic situation,” Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer who specializes in Iran, told us. “But you cannot plan for a three-day war, because it is not a unilateral decision. You cannot control how Iran responds.” Nevertheless, the president appears intent on acting. “Something one way or another, it will happen fairly soon,” Trump told a reporter yesterday before boarding Air Force One.

Despite all of the reasons resuming strikes could be a mistake, the president is tempted because he’s grown impatient waiting for the strategy of economic strangulation to work. He had originally hoped that Iran would come crawling back to the negotiations before the midterm elections, an official and another person familiar with the conversations told us under the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations. That has not happened, and energy prices have stayed high—creating an awful political landscape for Republicans. Trump has toned down some of his apocalyptic rhetoric toward Tehran, but his frustration occasionally seeps through, often in late-night social-media posts.

Trump has toyed with the idea of resuming hostilities before Election Day, a push championed by those in Washington who believe that a show of force could allow the president to claim some sort of October-surprise victory. Netanyahu has advocated for another round of strikes before his own election next week, a White House official confirmed to us. So far, Trump has held off on authorizing a pre-midterms strike; after we reported on the possibility earlier this month, the behind-the-scenes blowback from fellow Republicans was so intense that the president posted on Truth Social that he would not attack again before the election.

U.S. officials stress that no decision has been made about whether to resume strikes post-election, although there have been very public signs of preparation. Some officials hope that uncertainty about what the United States will do—and when—will keep Tehran on edge. Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Israel and met with Netanyahu to discuss Iran. The State Department said yesterday that it was evacuating nonessential personnel and their family members from Saudi Arabia because of escalating attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Real questions remain about whether the Pentagon’s munitions supplies, which were growing dangerously low at the height of the conflict, would be adequate to defend U.S. interests in the Middle East. Meanwhile, even the hint of hostilities has spooked markets; the price of oil surged and the stock market fell today as word circulated about a possible return to war and Iran hit tankers in the strait. (The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. Central Command, which leads the war in Iran, declined to comment.)

The costly U.S. naval blockade, which has effectively stopped Iranian oil exports, coupled with sanctions and damage from U.S. strikes, has put Iran’s economy under severe strain. Inflation is soaring; goods are scarce. The record-low value of the rial has left Iranians struggling to pay for basic needs. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, said last week that the naval blockade had prevented Iran from exporting at least $25 billion worth of crude oil. The International Monetary Fund has projected that Iran’s economy will contract sharply in 2026. But while Tehran is trying to contain the damage through measures such as price controls and maintaining essential imports, there is little evidence that Iran is on the verge of imminent economic collapse. Over the summer, Bessent promised “financial violence” that would lead to Iran’s capitulation. Yesterday, the Treasury Department added sanctions targeting shipping networks and intermediaries “indirectly aiding Tehran’s ability to generate revenue to fund its military, weapons, and nuclear programs.”

“I think it could be within weeks or months—and the economy doesn’t have to collapse. We just have to have the regime come to their senses,” he told reporters at an August G20 finance ministers’ meeting. But the belief that that point will come soon ignores the patterns of history: The hard-liners in Tehran have become inured to the suffering of their people over decades and have yet to capitulate.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has repeatedly urged Trump, who has endorsed the prime minister in his reelection bid, to launch strikes before Israel’s Tuesday election and the United States’ vote a week later, an Israeli television station reported last week. Netanyahu’s office has reportedly denied the claim. Regardless, the war is key to the political futures of Netanyahu and Trump. How and when it ends, however, is not entirely up to them.

Related:

• Trump is preparing for a long war.
• Trump Jr. privately breaks with his dad on Iran

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Trump defends ad criticized by other Republicans

President Donald Trump campaigned in Iowa Thursday night, where he defended Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial ad featuring rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother — and urged him to keep running it. Trump also thought that Republicans who criticized the ad were “weak,” a person familiar with the matter told CNN, despite growing backlash within the party.

+ Analysis: Trump turns the GOP’s Ramaswamy ad headache into a migraine

+ Explainer: Why is the ad controversial? ps:Of course he would! Any vile person he has no problem defending or backing, etc.!!!!!

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Trump administration offers mixed messages on limits to Ukraine’s Starshield access Recent efforts to throttle Ukraine’s access to satellite systems have created a blame game of sorts among Trump administration officials and their allies, who have offered mixed messages about what led to the sudden restrictions on Kyiv’s ability to intercept Russian strikes. Read more.

What to know: Questions have percolated since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Elon Musk-made satellite internet system that Ukraine has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks. Trump, as recently as Thursday, has maintained that he didn’t make the call. Vice President JD Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement. Musk indicated that because Ukraine was using the military-grade version of his technology, questions about the service should be directed to the Pentagon.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Russian missiles pound Kyiv as Moscow says over 800 Ukrainian drones downed A Ukrainian soldier blinded in war hopes to see his children again, in photos

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Immigrants seeking US citizenship targeted in Trump administration’s illegal voting crackdown Most of the immigrants targeted by federal authorities in California this week for alleged voter fraud had applied for U.S. citizenship and now face charges related to lying on forms or during interviews. Those charges could lead to years in prison and thwart their efforts to naturalize. Read more.

What to know: Federal authorities on Monday charged more than two dozen legal permanent residents in California in a crackdown on people accused of illegally voting or registering to do so. As of Thursday morning, the government had filed charging documents in 10 of the 28 cases, offering additional details about how authorities relied on voter registration data to pursue broader criminal charges around immigration status.   Most of the immigrants charged in California have lived in the country for at least five years, and some of them for decades. They could face deportation if they lied on their citizenship application.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Supreme Court allows New Hampshire to fully ban student IDs for voting in midterms Trump backs Ramaswamy on ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother Powerful Democratic Virginia state Sen. Lucas is accused of leading a marijuana criminal conspiracy Trump says he ‘heard something about’ Justice Department probe into longtime ally Corey Lewandowski Judge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11

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Melania Trump brokers a ceasefire deal in Russian-occupied Ukrainian city to get relief aid in

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Melania Trump has brokered a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the ravaged, Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky so that humanitarian aid can be delivered and civilians can be evacuated from a place she said is “on the brink of disaster.”

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-ceasefire-oleshky-melania-trump-60167627316e0e2f62fc359cf78f317d?

ps:If true good for her!!

Trump says he ordered the Justice Department’s lawsuit over Alaska’s US Senate race

President Donald Trump on Friday said he told his administration to file its lawsuit to block certification of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, kicking off what many fear could become a lengthy battle between the government and states over certifying an election where the president’s party is struggling.

https://apnews.com/article/alaska-senate-race-sullivan-name-lawsuit-certification-d8f4a3c7b5247cc427a05f796d7c0d82?

ps:We knew that!! Tell us womething new mr trump!! So pathetic!!!