Friday, 18 September 2026

Trump signed the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law, authorizing further sanctions and up to 100% tariffs on Russia amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

Trump announced a security deal with Denmark and Greenland that grants the United States 'permanent control' over Greenland's security, though specifics remain unconfirmed by Danish officials and Denmark/Greenland plan to sign the pact pending parliamentary approval.

Trump announced he is banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House 'effective immediately,' citing what he called unfavorable coverage and 'fake news,' and threatened that additional media outlets could be banned.

Trump said he faces a 'big decision' on whether to 'annihilate' Iranian foes and warned that 'anything could happen,' while tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz continued and the US war on Iran entered its sixth month with escalating costs.

Federal appeals court restricted the Trump administration's deportation efforts to third countries, ruling that migrants have the right to contest deportations to countries other than their origin, potentially heading to Supreme Court.

A federal judge ordered a 30-day notice requirement before Trump can proceed with any demolition at the Kennedy Center, rejecting plans to tear down the building without advance warning.

An ICE officer, Christian Castro, pleaded not guilty to federal charges of making false statements to the FBI about a non-fatal shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis during the Trump administration's 'Operation Metro Surge.'

Civil rights groups sued to keep armed federal officers away from voting sites, arguing that the Trump administration's repeated suggestions that federal agents could be deployed at polling places violates the Voting Rights Act and constitutes voter intimidation.

Gas prices approached their highest level of the year as energy costs remained elevated amid the Iran war, with the national average rising 3 cents overnight and approaching $5 per gallon heading into the midterms.

Senate Republican John Curtis called Donald Trump Jr.'s acceptance of hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Russian oligarch with ties to Putin to fund a wedding after-party in the Bahamas 'corruption' and pledged to say more about it.

A federal judge questioned whether the Trump administration's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' has truly been abandoned, suggesting the DOJ Judgment Fund may serve as its equivalent and indicating ongoing scrutiny of efforts to compensate those claiming unfair prosecution.