Russia deal, execution plans and deportations tell a defining tale about Trump and power

Three recent episodes show how President Donald Trump's transactional, forceful style is reshaping American power, according to CNN, and voters will soon render a judgment on it. The midterm campaign is dominated by food and housing costs, anger over AI data centers and the Iran war, but it also doubles as a referendum on a decade of Trump's political dominance.

The most striking episode is an agreement letting Russia sell diesel on world markets. CNN reports it undercuts sanctions, hands Vladimir Putin a propaganda win, and strains ties with NATO allies. Record diesel costs, largely tied to the Iran war, are squeezing farmers and raising grocery prices, which explains the domestic motive. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer defended it as creative problem-solving, while former Vice President Mike Pence warned against giving Putin's war machine a lifeline.

Second, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the Army major convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder in the Fort Hood attack. Third, federal agents in New York shot a Dominican Republic citizen with a 5-year-old in the vehicle, part of a harsher deportation push. Each prompted political backlash.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →