Welcome to today’s daily update for Saturday, September 19, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
US President Donald Trump has approved a bipartisan bill agreed upon by the House and the Senate, aiming to impose greater sanctions on Russia while strengthening the administration’s ability to implement tariffs on nations that refuse to comply with the restrictions on the Russian economy.
The bill, known as the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, passed through the Senate in a clear 86-11 win and the House in a 262-159 bipartisan vote, sending it to the president to be approved before becoming law.
Named after Lindsey Graham, the South Carolinian senator who died in July, the bill aims to impose serious new sanctions on Russia’s economy, particularly the oil and gas industry. In March, the Trump administration temporarily lifted specific sanctions on Russian oil and gas in order to bring down soaring prices, despite Ukraine’s warnings that it could provide Putin’s administration with the funds required to replenish weapons stockpiles and launch a new offensive.
Now, the Trump administration is pushing the latest round of sanctions on Russia, which will tighten American restrictions on Russian oil and gas purchases. Additionally, the bill allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on buyers of Russian oil like India and China.
Some have expressed concerns that this could put too much power in the hands of the president, who has shown extreme unpredictability in many of his policies – particularly tariffs, which have been announced and struck down various times – since beginning his second term.
In terms of negotiations, the US is continuing to attempt to restart talks between Ukraine and Russia to discuss ending the ongoing conflict, but neither side appears ready to give up any sort of concessions that could satisfy the other side. Nevertheless, in the meantime, the US has urged Ukraine to avoid striking Russian oil and gas infrastructure, as further destruction of Russian refineries could drive gas prices up even higher.
Oil prices are currently fluctuating between $100 and $110, leaving gas prices sky-high. The national average for gas hit $4.47 yesterday, with diesel prices breaking records at $6.45 a gallon, and the prices continue to rise as concerns over the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine intensify.
Gas prices are already up 40 cents since the beginning of the month and up around $1.30 per gallon from a year ago, representing a larger dramatic shift in prices since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
The Global Snapshot
Trump asserted that he has banned all news outlets that he considers “fake news” from the White House – a move that has been met with questioning and criticism. The president has been a vocal critic of left-leaning news outlets like CNN, MS Now, Politico, and the New York Times across his first and second terms while propping up far-right sources like Fox News. However, many have doubted whether the ban he claims to be implementing will actually have any sort of impact on the White House, while others have argued that the imposition of such a rule would be unconstitutional and directly violates First Amendment rights.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon continues to increase their estimate for the cost of the Iran war, which has risen to a staggering $43.6 billion. A recent report from an insider revealed the cost to be around $38 billion, but the Pentagon confirmed today that the number is much higher, and $43.6 billion is certainly an underestimate – it does not include the costs to manufacture new weapons to restore stockpiles or rebuild damaged infrastructure at US bases in the Middle East.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Ed Sheeran loves ketchup so much that he has a Heinz Ketchup bottle tattooed on his arm. In fact, his real-life tattoo inspired an official partnership in 2019 – Heinz released a limited run of 150 special-edition bottles featuring his tattoo sleeve design, called the "Ed Sheeran x Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Tattoo Edition”.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Churlish (adj, CHUR-lish) - Churlish is a formal word used to describe someone or something that is impolite or rude.
In a Sentence: I was shocked by the churlish remarks made by my opponent.
Image: NARA / Public Domain
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