Donald Trump

Washington Post -   President Donald Trump handed Republicans what he said was a surefire formula for winning the midterm elections this fall: Act as if Trump is on the ballot and promise $5,000 payouts to every citizen. A week after the Republican midterm convention where Trump delivered his advice, most GOP congressional candidates are ignoring it, a Washington Post analysis of more than a million social media posts by politicians found.

Republican candidates are sticking to their own messages, not Trump’s, as they navigate an increasingly difficult political landscape marked by high consumer prices, a protracted war in Iran and a president whose own approval rating has stayed stubbornly low, the analysis shows.

Stupid Trump stuff

New Republic - The Trump administration has a lot of things “visitors should know” before entering the National Museum of American History. According to reporting by The Atlantic, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is mobilizing the National Park Service to display at least a dozen signs around the National Museum of American History warning visitors of “ideologies that distract from a coherent and accurate presentation of America’s story” before they step foot on the premises. The signs are projected to cost at least $84,000. This is the Trump administration’s latest attack on the Smithsonian, a cultural institution that has stood witness to the American story for 180 years.

Diesel Fuel

Drop Site  - U.S. diesel prices hit record high above $6.30 a gallon: Average U.S. diesel prices rose to a record $6.31 per gallon on Wednesday, according to the American Automobile Association, surpassing Tuesday’s record of $6.27 and the previous historic high of about $5.82 set in 2022. Diesel averaged below $3.50 a gallon at the start of last year but has surged alongside global oil prices.

Kennedy Center closing

1440 - The Kennedy Center’s board, led by President Donald Trump, voted yesterday to close the landmark DC venue, citing urgent financial and structural issues. The board’s decision came soon after a federal judge ruled Trump’s name could not be readded to the building.

The board cited a partial ceiling collapse in the venue’s main lobby on Sept. 4 after an evening of heavy rain in its decision (scroll for video). However, the board said it will not begin a planned two-year, $257M renovation project funded by Congress until Trump’s name can be inscribed, an effort to honor his plan to raise an additional $100M in funding.

A federal judge has ruled such inscriptions illegal, citing federal law that no memorials or plaques be added to the Kennedy Center without congressional approval.

Inflation

NBC News - A Congressional Budget Office report says the war with Iran is responsible for more than 40% of inflation in the second quarter of 2026 and that inflation will likely continue into 2027.

Canada and Europe

Bloomberg - The European Union floated Canada becoming its first associate member. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered the invitation during her state of the union address with Canada’s Mark Carney in attendance, saying the group needs to “re-imagine” its partnerships. The Canadian prime minister warned earlier this year that the “rules-based international order” was effectively dead and has repeatedly pushed for so-called middle powers to band together.

Artificial intelligence

NY Times - President Trump posted on Truth Social this week that artificial intelligence and the data centers that power it “will be the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History ­­— Bigger than Oil, Gold, Diamonds, or even the Internet.”

….In hundreds of replies to Mr. Trump’s Truth Social posts this week, commenters criticized his enthusiasm, offering a social media snapshot that mirrors recent polling, which shows that Republicans are increasingly concerned about the technology. The New York Times analyzed thousands of comments on Mr. Trump’s posts to create a snapshot of what his most loyal supporters are thinking about his pro-A.I. stance.

…. Overall, the number of comments disparaging A.I. and data centers outnumbered those supporting the technology by nearly four to one, the analysis showed. Many of the comments criticizing the president came from users whose profiles suggested they were otherwise staunch Trump supporters and members of his MAGA movement. Hundreds of other comments included only images or memes, which were not analyzed, or did not directly address data centers or A.I.

More Americans are eating fruit—but fewer are eating vegetables

Time - In. a new federal report, researchers say most U.S. adults are eating at least some fruits and vegetables every day, but plenty aren't. During 2021 to 2023, the most recent available data, about 70% of adults age 20 and older said that they ate any fruit or drank 100% fruit juice on a given day—leaving roughly 30% of American adults who reported not eating a single piece of fruit or drinking any fruit juice. 93% said they ate a vegetable. The data are collected by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) as part of an annual health and nutrition survey that includes 5,000 adults and children.

.....In the latest survey, more women than men consumed fruit on a given day (74% vs. 66%). About the same proportion of women and men ate vegetables, but the type differed; while 42% of women reported eating a dark-green vegetable, only 34% of men did. —Alice Park

Physical violence in America

The Guardian  - In their lifetime, more than half of US adults have experienced physical violence – and nearly half have experienced sexual violence, according to a new national study. The study, led by researchers from Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute and the University of California, San Diego, examined experiences of physical, sexual and intimate partner violence.

The study found that 52% of US adults have experienced physical violence during their lifetime, including cases involving a gun or knife. The rate was the same among women and men: 52% for each.

Voting

Newsworthy - The Supreme Court’s emergency order let parts of a federal mail-ballot screening plan move ahead, then lower courts pulled it back, leaving voters and states in limbo before the midterms. Lower courts say the Postal Service likely lacks power to refuse lawful ballots.  Experts say fraud rates in mail voting are extremely low nationwide

Texas universities dropping courses gender, race and other issues

The Hill - Public universities in Texas have dropped hundreds of courses from their core curricula — or altogether — amid rising political pressure over the last two years. Texas A&M University has removed 350 core listings across its system, many dealing with gender, race and other popular GOP targets. The University of Houston has nixed 133 classes from its core curricula, and the University of Texas at Austin has dropped 113.

Professors say students are missing out on subjects relevant to their future careers, and some educators are moving on to private schools, where political winds are less fierce.

Students are required to take a select number of core classes in college in order to graduate. They typically choose from an array of courses to satisfy this requirement, but public universities are increasingly making optional selections that focus on women’s studies, LGBTQ issues, climate change and other left-leaning concepts, leading to the possibility of less student interest in the topics.

Texas A&M announced early this year it was eliminating its entire women’s and gender studies degree program. Texas State University completely removed a course called LGBTQ+ Communication Studies after backlash.

Cheese recalled

Health - A gourmet cheese from Whole Foods is being recalled in seven states over a potentially dangerous allergen risk, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday. The grocer’s Cabricharme cheese contains egg lysozyme, an egg white protein, that is not declared on the product label, posing a serious or life-threatening health risk for people with an egg allergy.

The recalled cheese was sold by the pound at the Specialty cheese department with the following information:

• Type of label: Whole Foods Market Scale Label
• Product description: Formagerie Coop de Mean Cabricharme Raw Milk – Aged 60 days
• PLU: 57953
• Affected states: California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island
• Product description: Belgian Cabricharme

Fatigue

Independent -  A new study, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, found that approximately 71.5 percent of adults in the U.S. say they experience fatigue on multiple days over the past three months.

The report's author, Natalie A.E. Young, said that fatigue is “one of the most frequently reported health concerns in primary care visits in the U.S.” The study surveyed approximately 27,000 adults ages 18 and older in 2024, NBC News reports.

According to the report, women and younger adults are more likely to report that they're experiencing frequent fatigue than men.

Politics

The Express - President Donald Trump refused on Saturday evening to endorse Vice President JD Vance for the 2028 presidential election.  In a stunning blow to Trump's 42-year-old running mate, the president declined to "throw his weight" behind Vance this early.

When asked by a reporter on the tarmac if he was "ready to throw his weight" behind Vance for 2028, Trump gave an immediate, blunt response….

"It's too early," Trump replied. "I mean, it's too early. I think he's terrific. There's so many terrific people."

The Guardian -  Gavin Newsom, the California governor, will not run for president if former vice-president Kamala Harris does, he said in a forthcoming interview with CNN.

Newsom and Harris, both from California, are widely viewed as two of the top establishment frontrunners in the coming Democratic presidential primary. Newsom, who terms out this year as governor, has increasingly portrayed himself as a foil to Trump and is widely viewed as positioning himself for a 2028 presidential bid.

But Newsom said running against Harris would waste voters’ time and act as a “gift from God” to their political opponents, he said.

Stupid Trump stuff

Alternet - President Donald Trump on Monday slapped down the idea of putting guardrails on artificial intelligence, despite increased warnings from industry insiders and outside experts about the technology’s potential dangers to humanity.

In a Truth Social post, Trump suggested that his own intellect was singlehandedly capable of regulating AI, a technology so complicated that even its own creators have acknowledged difficulties in understanding it.  “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT,” Trump wrote, “and the USA has that, in spades!”

The Guardian   - Donald Trump is facing a rare backlash from the US Congress as Democrats and some Republicans push for guardrails on the world’s most powerful AI companies.   Concerns over the dangerous potential of AI reached fever pitch this week after tech leaders sounded the alarm over the rapid advancement of the technology and its potential threat to humanity.

Trump dismissed the anxieties on Monday, describing them as a “HOAX” and “conspiracy” and insisting on social media: “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”

But the 80-year-old president, who has sidelined Congress on numerous issues during his second term, looks increasingly isolated as members of both major parties acknowledged the risks and expressed a desire to act before it was too late.

…Recent surveys by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation found 85% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans want a new federal agency to monitor and regulate AI; and 82% of Democrats and 78% of Republicans favour government safety tests for AI making critical decisions.

NY Times - President Trump on Tuesday assailed the Supreme Court’s decision to block his administration’s efforts to change mail voting and issued a blistering criticism of the three justices he appointed during his first term. “These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court,” he wrote on social media, referring to Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Neil M. Gorsuch. “They are merely a shell of their original selves, a Court that is costing the United States Trillions of Dollars with shockingly bad rulings that are of such magnitude that it won’t be easily possible for our Country to recover or heal.”

Why you should vote for Troy Jackson anyway

Sam Smith – I learned 74 years ago, as a 12 year old stuffing envelopes  in a Philadelphia campaign that ended nearly  seven decades of Republican  rule, that politics isn’t about perfection. It’s about the best you can get when you go the polls.

Subsequent reporting on, and taking part in, elections in places like Cambridge Massachusetts and Washington DC taught me not to expect role models but to seek the best politics we could find each time. Sometimes that even included a campaign you know you’re not going to win but will end in increased knowledge and support for your causes.

 Now we have Troy Jackson and Susan Collins to choose between in Maine. Jackson has been accused  of anger and mistreatment of women. He also had a bitter rivalry with former Republican Governor Paul LePage. And as one website reported, “He had intense public shouting matches and arguments in the Maine State House.”

Meanwhile Susan Collins voted for justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. She was the deciding vote in favor of Trump’s Medicare cuts, and helped Trump double health insurance fees. She also wrote the bill to increase ICE funding.

When we go to the polls we are not choosing between personal moral models or choosing a minister. We are having an effect on the political future of our state and nation. We need to stop wondering who is a more decent human and pick the one who will most help the political causes we support. And Troy Jackson is clearly one of them. 

Legislation for 32 hour work week reintroduced

NY Times - A proposal to make the 32-hour workweek the new federal standard is back before Congress, renewing debate over whether Americans could work fewer hours without taking a pay cut.

Last week, independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Democratic Representative Mark Takano of California reintroduced legislation that would gradually reduce the federal standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 while protecting workers' existing pay and benefits. The bill would change federal overtime law, effectively making it more expensive for employers to routinely require covered workers to put in more than 32 hours.

"A 32-hour workweek is not a radical idea. What's radical is that, despite an explosion in technology and productivity over the last 50 years, millions of workers are working longer hours for lower wages while nearly $80 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90 percent to the top 1 percent," said Sanders, arguing that automation and the proliferation of artificial intelligence should give workers more of their time back.

Artificial intelligence

NY Times - The intensifying debate over artificial intelligence offers promise and peril for both parties, with voters skeptical about the technology but split on which party is better equipped to address it, according to a new poll from The New York Times and Siena University.

Less than two months before the midterm elections, neither party has claimed a clear advantage on A.I. Forty-two percent of voters said they trusted Republicans more, while 40 percent said they trusted Democrats more. Voters gave Democrats the edge on every other issue tested, including immigration, the economy and foreign wars.

The poll showed why midterm candidates in both parties have quickly turned against data centers. Sixty-one percent of voters said they opposed the construction of the enormous computing complexes that power A.I., including 75 percent of Democrats and 47 percent  of Republicans.

Ethnic issues

The Trump administration's Justice Department is investigating Evanston, Ill., accusing it of racial discrimination. Evanston is the first U.S. city to implement a reparations program to compensate Black residents for historical discrimination. The program has provided more than 300 individuals with $25,000 grants to compensate for past housing segregation. The Justice Department is joining a lawsuit filed by a conservative group that alleges the city's program is racially discriminatory, as it only qualifies Black people for assistance

Middle East

Newsbreak - Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures at U.S. bases across eight countries in the Middle East, according to a report on the Iran war from the Pentagon’s official watchdog.

The war has also resulted in a shortfall of strategic munitions and revealed “bottlenecks” in the defense industry as the U.S. military sought to resupply the depleted stock of munitions.

The report, produced by the Defense Department’s inspector general for Congress, was released on Sept. 14 and covers the start of the war on Feb. 28 through June 30. It offers the most comprehensive official account of the war’s cost and impact on U.S. military bases and equipment.

The war, which President Donald Trump initially estimated would last four to five weeks, is now in its seventh month and has cost the U.S. at least $33.4 billion as of June 29, according to the report. The figure does not account for repairs to damaged facilities and many experts believe the total cost of the war is significantly higher.

….Buildings and facilities at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan were damaged or destroyed by Iranian strikes during the war. The report confirmed that Iran targeted the U.S. Navy’s main logistics hub in Bahrain with drones and ballistic missiles.

The Hill -  Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Tuesday launched an effort to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, citing the Pentagon’s military actions against Iran.

Massie, a frequent critic of President Trump, accused Hegseth of launching an illegal war that was not approved by Congress. He introduced articles of impeachment on the House floor against Hegseth for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Massie also took the remarkable step of making his resolution privileged, meaning he’s forcing it to the floor for a vote. By House rules, that vote must come within two days.

He argued that Hegseth violated “his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States” and violated “his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, especially with regard to the commission of war.” He added that Hegseth has “abused the powers of the Department of Defense.”

Donald Trump

NY Times - A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could not honor President Trump with an inscription on the institution’s exterior, blocking an effort by the center’s board to restore the president’s name to the building.

“Simply put, defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” Judge Christopher R. Cooper of Federal District Court in Washington wrote in the order. “The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted.”

Alternet - Brian Stetler, writing for CNN, explains, "There were two big events on television last Wednesday night: President Donald Trump's speech at the Republican Party's midterm convention, and the NFL's 2025-26 season kickoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The NFL game drew more than 25 million viewers. Trump's speech reached about 3 million viewers."

Voting

 Americans for Financial Reform -   Postmaster General David Steiner is trying to turn the U.S. Postal Service into a tool for Trump’s voter suppression scheme.

Under his direction, USPS has finalized a rule based on Trump’s executive order that would block election ballots from being delivered to anyone not on a “verified citizenship” list created in part by the Department of Homeland Security.

Election officials in Texas and Missouri have already found that DHS’s databases are inaccurate and flawed, repeatedly misidentifying people — setting up a system that could block millions of mail-in ballots across the country.

Second judge freezes Trump mail ballot plan

The Hill - A second federal judge blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing President Trump’s executive order targeting mail-in voting, adding a new obstacle to the president’s plan as he awaits word from the Supreme Court.

The high court was already considering an emergency request to lift another judge’s block — a decision could come any time — when U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ruled in separate challenges filed by Democrats and private organizations.

Nichols similarly found that Trump’s mail ballot plan wasn’t authorized by Congress.

“The key portions of the Rule exceed any conception of the outer bounds of these authorities,” the judge wrote in his 24-page opinion.  Nichols is a Trump appointee who serves on the federal trial bench in Washington, D.C.

Best and worst states for teachers

WalletHub - Teaching is one of the most rewarding careers, with educators playing a vital role in shaping future generations. Yet despite their impact, many teachers are overworked and underpaid. Education remains one of the lowest-paying occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree, and teacher salaries have not kept pace with inflation. Adjusted for inflation, on average, teachers are making 5% less than they did 10 years ago.

Compensation and working conditions vary widely across the country, with some states offering far stronger support for educators than others. States that invest in their teachers are also more likely to retain experienced educators and reduce turnover. To identify the best places to teach, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 24 key measures of teacher-friendliness, including income growth potential, pupil-teacher ratios, and public-school spending per student.

Key Facts

The best states for teachers in 2026 are Washington, New York, Virginia, Illinois and Utah.

The worst states for teachers in 2026 are New Mexico, Maine, Montana, Hawaii and New Hampshire.

Important factors determining the best states for teachers include compensation, tenure protections, state spending per student, school-system quality and turnover rates.

Donald Trump

New Republic - Donald Trump Jr.’s lavish destination wedding was bankrolled by a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, ProPublica reported Monday. Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch, dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars on Don Jr.’s big day, according to records reviewed by ProPublica, as well as three people familiar with the event who spoke with the outlet.

Kremlev rented out a private island where the reception was held, and guests were housed for $100,000 per night. He paid an estimated $70,000 for a massive fireworks display, and his team even helped to plan the festivities.  Kremlev is president of the International Boxing Association, which is financed by Gazprom, a Russian state-owned energy company.

Congress faces artificial intelligence fears

The Hill - The House has just one week left on its calendar before November's midterm elections. Axios reported that members are urging Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to cancel the recess until Congress can pass AI safeguards.  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Sunday he supports immediate congressional action.

“We certainly need to begin to act urgently to address the challenges that exist,” Jeffries told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.”

…Johnson urged people not to panic and said lawmakers do not want to smother innovation. “If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try to regulate AI, we will lose the race to China, and that is a threat to every single American. So, we’ve got to have balance. We’ve got to have steady hands at the wheel,” Johnson told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday.

Trump sounded a similar note while speaking to reporters at his golf club in Doonbeg, Ireland, on Sunday, saying that guardrails can be installed, but he doesn't want to lose to China in the process.

“Well, I say this, we’re leading China on AI. We’re the most sophisticated country in the world and frankly I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI, wins,” he said.

The debate comes after AI researchers and leaders took to social media to sound the alarm on the pace of AI growth.

Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic researcher who also worked for OpenAI, warned on Tuesday that AI could soon destroy humanity.

"Do not underestimate the power of this technology. These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources," he wrote on social platform X.

"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade," he added.

… Former President Obama sent a message to Jeffries at a private fundraiser on Thursday: “Once you are speaker, I would strongly urge that the Democrats put together a framework for a very public conversation,” he said, The New York Times reports.

The potential if Democrats take over just one congressional house

Jennifer Rubin, The Contrarian - Article I grants Congress the power of the purse, arguably its most effective weapon to combat executive overreach. Even if Democrats take both houses, it is nearly impossible, for example, to assemble supermajorities to impeach and remove rogue Cabinet officials. Even with one house secured, however, it can refuse to fund Donald Trump’s priorities. And if Democrats win even a bare majority in the Senate, it can use reconciliation strategically to eliminate programs or temporarily defund departments. And we’ve got a handy list of Trump’s abusive, lawless agencies and departments that Democrats should strategically target.

First and foremost, Democrats should refuse to fund the illegal, reckless Iran War and must eliminate funds for continued deployment of personnel and material that depletes our readiness and leaves us vulnerable elsewhere. They can condition additional funding for the Pentagon on compliance with congressional investigations, and can defund overtly politicized gatherings of the type Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has conducted.

Congress can also use the power of the purse to disable corrupt, lawless departments. Democrats, for example, will need to conduct exacting oversight over the Department of Homeland Security, which has been, according to reports, rife with fraud. Continuing to fund the department before a full accounting is made and until all those responsible are held accountable would be political malpractice.

When it comes to abusive, lawless immigration raids, Democrats must refuse to allocate a single dime for ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other entities responsible for killing or allowing dozens of people to die (on the streets and in custody), mistreating detainees, ignoring fundamental civil liberties protections, refusing to abide by requirements for body cameras, conducting raids at religious institutions, courts, and schools, continuing to use excessive force and racially profile individuals, and blocking cooperation with state and local criminal investigations.

If Democrats win control of even one house, said body can refuse to fund ICE, CBP, and any other aspects of DHS absent full cooperation with oversight and adoption of strict guidelines on use of force, treatment of detainees, compliance with warrants, etc. Congress can simply refuse to fund “raids,” that is, far-flung operations that do not prioritize dangerous criminals. Congress can deny resources for operations if there is no immediate threat to public safety or in any case in which ICE agents lack a judicial warrant based on probable cause. Democrats will need to rally public opinion, already hostile to ICE and CBP, when Trump hollers that they are protecting “dangerous criminals.” (The response: Democrats will fund focused, law-abiding enforcement actions that are actually against dangerous criminals).

 

Stupid Trump stuff

A lust for supersizing … the plan for Trump’s triumphal arch. Photograph: US Commission on Fine Arts/Reuters

Oliver Wainwright, The Guardian -  When you have a developer as US president, you might expect some zhooshing up of the capital. A few buildings renovated, maybe some parks replanted. But when you have a megalomaniac builder in charge, things can get out of hand. A decade ago, when Donald Trump was first elected, I asked what it might mean for the US to be led by a real estate tycoon whose career had left a trail of broken promises, angry buyers and endless lawsuits, with rules flouted, heritage trampled and the world pockmarked by a fleet of aspirational towers clad with a flimsy veneer of luxury. The answer is worse than I could have imagined.

With the air of a nightmarish Hollywood sequel, Trump 2 has seen the president’s true architectural ambitions unleashed: As America’s self-styled decorator-in-chief, Trump has not only overseen the gilded mutilation of the White House, but embarked on the Mar-a-Lagofication of Washington DC itself, applying his gold paintbrush to statuary, daubing ponds with flaking pool liner, and brewing plans for a colossal triumphal arch – all procured in a blizzard of no-bid contracts…..

Middle East

The Guardian - Israel is working towards the systematic “elimination” of the conditions that sustain Palestinian collective life in the occupied West Bank, according to a major report published by the human rights group B’Tselem.

The Israeli organization’s hard-hitting report, shared with the Guardian in advance of publication, says Israel is “dramatically intensifying its attacks on every aspect of Palestinian life in the West Bank”, including “the ability to get to work, take children to school or university, receive medical treatment or municipal services, meet family and friends, cultivate land or go on vacation … routine activities that make up human life”.

…1107: Number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the West Bank since October 2023

Ukraine

Time - President Donald Trump has called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to halt strikes on Russia's diesel fuel infrastructure and refineries, claiming the attacks are contributing to a fuel shortage. Zelensky did not immediately respond to Trump’s comments, but he has previously said that these refineries fund and fuel Russia’s war with Ukraine. He said that his country’s attacks are meant to disrupt Moscow’s financing capacity. "Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war,” Zelensky said in April.