Thursday, October 01, 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth Maline: Selling diesel
|
|
|
|
Washington takes time to explain itself.
It can take months for a new law to filter out from the Capitol to the rest of the country through news coverage, town halls, social media posts, constituent emails and the slow rollout of a policy.
But there are only five weeks until Election Day. And Republicans facing competitive races are scrambling to throw out proposals that would address the rising cost of diesel.
On the campaign trail, GOP candidates have pitched a grab bag of easy to understand ideas: pausing diesel exports, suspending the gas tax, reviving incentives for biodiesel and offering relief for farmers and truckers.
Whether any of those ideas will work is another question. There is simply not enough time for Congress to act: The House is not scheduled to return for votes until after the election. Candidates can promise a future fix, but they can’t point to any actual relief at the pump yet.
At the same time, many Republicans have focused on treating the price spike rather than confronting one of its central causes.
Read Elizabeth Maline’s analysis here.
|
|
|
|
Will you use the new America.gov chatbot?
|
|
|
|
Here are some more highlights of the president’s actions over the past seven days:
|
- Began holding rallies in heavily Republican areas despite having said before that he would only campaign in competitive races
|
- Used taxpayer money to air a 30-second campaign-style TV ad characterized as a “public service announcement”
|
|
|
|
The news can feel overwhelming. But each week, we pause to highlight a person, organization or movement sticking up for their principles or their fellow Americans. This week’s challenger is Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker.
Wicker is a conservative Republican and a dependable Trump ally. But when the White House rolled out the red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping last week — complete with a state dinner — Wicker went to the Senate floor to say Trump should not have invited him. “Had the White House asked me for advice,” Wicker said in a speech, “I would have suggested the president not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome.” Instead of flattering Xi, Wicker argued, Trump should have confronted him about China’s military buildup, its support for Iran, its threats to Taiwan and its human rights abuses against Uyghurs, Christians and other religious minorities. It was a modest but meaningful critique, notable because Wicker is chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
|
|
|
|
After seven months of war, oil exports from the Middle East are approaching pre-war levels. That doesn’t mean, however, that prices will fall any time soon. “Even though the numbers are getting close to normal, it’s not like the strait is back to normal,” said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler, a firm that tracks oil shipments. His firm estimated that’s an average of 13.2 million barrels a day moved through the strait over the past week. Analysts at JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs also estimated that oil exports are near pre-war levels. Yet oil prices are still above $100 because the cost to hire and insure an oil tanker still costs more because of the risk of attacks by Iran. “It’s very expensive and that’s reflected in the prices in the U.S. and the price at the pump,” Smith said. As more tankers make it through the strait, some believe it could be a sign Iran is losing control of the waterway. That might not be good news. It’s been Iran’s biggest leverage in negotiations with the United States. If it loses that, some worry it could escalate attacks there and beyond. The oil is flowing, but it still comes at a cost.
|
|
|
|
This week on “The Best People,” Nicolle Wallace is joined by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to discuss how the moment we’re in is a “make-or-break” moment in American politics, and what he’d like to see if Democrats take control of the government after the midterms. Subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening, and bonus content.
|
|
|
|
229 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036
|
|
|
|
|
