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U.S. Political News Today: Trump Pressures Ukraine as Diesel Tops $6

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2026 — President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to stop attacking Russian refineries Sunday, arguing that the strikes were worsening a global diesel shortage that has pushed the average U.S. price above $6 per gallon.

Trump also suggested the United States could retain control of Iranian oil after the current war, defended his proposed $5,000 payments to American adults and played down calls for tighter artificial-intelligence safeguards.

Speaking throughout the final day of his Ireland visit, the president also promised to remove a 10% tariff on Irish whiskey and said he would consider releasing additional records concerning allegations of Saudi involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Together, the developments showed how fuel prices, presidential power and technological risk are converging in the final weeks of the midterm campaign.

Trump tells Ukraine to stop attacking Russian refineries

Trump publicly called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end strikes against Russia’s diesel infrastructure, saying the campaign was creating fuel shortages and “hurting the world.”

Ukraine has used long-range drones to attack Russian refineries and other energy facilities. The strikes have reduced Russian fuel production, contributed to domestic shortages and forced Moscow to restrict exports.

Kyiv argues that refineries are legitimate military targets because petroleum revenue finances Russia’s invasion and fuel supports its armed forces. Russia continues attacking Ukraine’s electrical grid, fuel storage sites and other civilian and military infrastructure.

Trump said there were “plenty of other targets” Ukraine could strike. His statement indicated that the administration is placing greater weight on global fuel supplies and American prices than on the economic damage Kyiv hopes to inflict on Moscow.

The national average price of diesel exceeded $6 per gallon Thursday for the first time, according to GasBuddy figures cited by Reuters. Diesel powers trucks, trains, ships, farm machinery and construction equipment, allowing price increases to spread through food, shipping and manufacturing costs.

Trump attributed the shortage primarily to the Russia-Ukraine war rather than the Middle East. The distinction is incomplete: Ukrainian strikes have reduced Russian output, but disrupted Gulf exports and insecurity around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb have also tightened supplies.

An American request does not legally require Ukraine to stop its campaign. Washington’s influence is nevertheless substantial because Ukraine depends on U.S. weapons, intelligence and diplomatic support.

Trump did not say whether continued refinery attacks would affect that assistance. No evidence Sunday indicated that Zelenskyy had agreed to halt them.

The intervention could improve Trump’s chances of reducing fuel prices before Election Day, but it may also ease economic pressure on Russia while Moscow continues its invasion. (Reuters, Associated Press)

Trump suggests the United States could remain in Iran and “keep the oil”

Trump raised the possibility that the United States could maintain a presence in Iran after the war and take control of oil resources, comparing the idea with his administration’s agreement involving Venezuelan reserves.

“We’ll ultimately get out, unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela,” Trump told reporters at the Irish Open.

The president did not identify a legal mechanism, geographic area or military plan for taking Iranian petroleum. His comment should therefore be treated as a proposal or negotiating threat—not an established U.S. policy.

International law generally prohibits an occupying power from permanently appropriating another country’s natural resources for its own benefit. Any extended American presence would also raise questions about congressional authorization, military costs and the consent of an eventual Iranian government.

Trump said revenue from Venezuela had paid for that conflict “many times.” The administration has not released a complete public accounting demonstrating that oil revenue has covered all American military and related costs.

The president maintained that Iran was repeatedly seeking peace talks. Iranian officials have previously disputed his descriptions of their diplomatic contacts, and no comprehensive agreement or ceasefire had been announced Sunday.

Trump predicted that gasoline prices would fall rapidly once the war ended, possibly after the Nov. 3 midterms. That forecast is not guaranteed. Prices would also depend on damage to energy infrastructure, sanctions, production levels, shipping security and whether Iranian exports returned to international markets.

An attempt to retain Iranian oil could itself complicate negotiations by giving Tehran reason to believe that Washington’s objective extends beyond nuclear restrictions and regional security.

Trump’s statement also creates a political contrast with his earlier opposition to prolonged overseas occupations. A continuing presence designed to control natural resources could require American troops, financing and an open-ended security commitment. (Reuters)

Speaker Johnson says Trump’s $5,000 checks require Congress

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump cannot distribute the promised $5,000 “Trump Dividend” without congressional authorization.

Trump unveiled the proposal at last week’s Republican midterm convention, promising payments to American adults if voters preserve GOP control of the House and Senate.

The president said Sunday that the payments were certain to happen and would be easy for the government to afford because of the money flowing into the country.

No legislation, income limits, payment schedule or detailed funding source has been released. Providing $5,000 to approximately 240 million adults could cost about $1.2 trillion.

The Constitution gives Congress authority over federal appropriations. A president generally cannot spend more than $1 trillion on a new benefit without legislation, even if the executive branch has collected additional tariff or tax revenue.

Johnson acknowledged that the details remained unresolved but said House Republicans would try to find consensus. Their narrow majority means legislation could fail if even a small number of fiscal conservatives oppose it and Democrats do not provide votes.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York declined to endorse the dividend specifically, saying lawmakers must explain how it would be financed. Democrats characterized the proposal as unrealistic and politically manipulative.

The criticism that the promise is intended to buy votes is political argument. A broadly available public benefit would not automatically constitute criminal bribery merely because a party campaigns on enacting it. The more immediate legal obstacle is the absence of congressional authorization.

The proposal also presents an economic tradeoff. Direct payments would provide substantial short-term help to households facing high fuel and food prices, but deficit-financed checks could increase demand, borrowing and inflation.

Trump’s assurance that the payments will occur does not make them guaranteed. Voters would need to distinguish between a campaign pledge and money that Congress has legally approved. (Associated Press, Reuters)

Trump resists calls to slow artificial-intelligence development

Trump downplayed warnings that artificial intelligence is advancing faster than governments and companies can control its risks.

The president said the United States must preserve its lead over China because “whoever wins AI wins.” He acknowledged that some guardrails may be appropriate but offered no specific regulatory proposal.

His comments followed a call by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for companies to slow development long enough for safety systems to catch up. Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly supported elements of Amodei’s approach.

Warnings that advanced AI could eventually escape human control remain forecasts, not established facts. Experts disagree sharply about the probability and timing of such scenarios.

More immediate risks—including fraud, deepfakes, discriminatory automated decisions, cyberattacks and worker displacement—are already documented and do not depend on the arrival of hypothetical superhuman systems.

Trump described critics as “negative forces” raising outcomes that he said would not happen. He did not identify those critics or present evidence disproving their technical concerns.

House Speaker Johnson said Congress should bring industry executives together to discuss safeguards. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has called for quicker action addressing safety and potential job losses.

The policy debate is complicated by financial relationships between technology executives and political organizations. Musk’s America PAC is spending millions of dollars supporting Republican candidates, while AI companies are seeking favorable rules governing data centers, federal contracts, energy use and liability.

Those political expenditures do not prove improper influence. They do increase the importance of disclosing industry participation when evaluating federal AI policy.

China’s rapid development gives Washington a genuine strategic concern. However, treating safety and competitiveness as mutually exclusive could leave the United States with powerful systems that lack adequate testing, transparency or public accountability. (Associated Press, Reuters)

Trump promises to remove tariff on Irish whiskey

Trump announced that he plans to eliminate the 10% U.S. tariff on Irish whiskey after receiving appeals from Irish officials, industry representatives and golfers.

The statement came during the trophy ceremony at the Irish Open, held at the Trump family’s golf resort in Doonbeg.

Irish whiskey currently faces the general tariff applied to many European Union imports. The rate was reduced from 15% to 10% in July.

Removing the duty could lower costs for American importers, distributors, restaurants and consumers. The Irish Whiskey Association has argued that zero-tariff trade benefits companies on both sides of the Atlantic.

Trump did not release a proclamation, customs notice or implementation date Sunday. Until the administration completes the required legal and administrative steps, importers should not assume that the tariff has ended.

The president possesses substantial delegated authority over tariffs, although the scope of that power remains the subject of litigation and congressional debate.

The location of the announcement also warrants careful distinction. Holding an official presidential visit alongside a tournament at a Trump-owned resort can promote the family business, but the overlap does not by itself prove an ethics-law violation or unlawful personal profit.

A full assessment would require records showing government expenditures, resort payments and any revenue attributable to the presidential visit.

Trump’s whiskey decision demonstrates his highly personalized approach to trade policy. Direct appeals from political leaders and prominent individuals can produce exemptions even as broader tariffs remain in place for other industries. (Associated Press, Reuters)

Trump considers releasing additional Sept. 11 records

Trump said he would review requests to declassify additional government records concerning allegations of Saudi involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Families of victims have pursued litigation alleging that Saudi-linked religious and government figures provided assistance to the hijackers. Fifteen of the 19 attackers were Saudi citizens.

Saudi Arabia has consistently denied that its government participated in the attacks. The nationality of individual hijackers does not, by itself, establish responsibility by the Saudi state.

Terry Strada, whose husband was killed at the World Trade Center, used Friday’s 25th-anniversary commemoration to press Trump to release more documents and stop protecting Saudi Arabia.

Trump said before leaving Ireland that he would examine the matter after returning to Washington. He did not order immediate declassification or identify specific files.

Any review could involve records held by the FBI, CIA and other national-security agencies. Officials may argue that portions should remain secret to protect intelligence sources, investigative methods or diplomatic relationships.

Those concerns do not necessarily justify withholding entire documents. Records can often be released with narrowly tailored redactions.

The request comes as Trump manages an increasingly important military and energy relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi infrastructure faces threats connected to the Iran war and the Houthi advance in Yemen.

That current relationship could complicate—but should remain analytically separate from—the historical question of what evidence exists about assistance provided to the Sept. 11 hijackers.

Trump’s promise to “look at” the request is not a decision to release the records. Families will be watching for a formal declassification order and a timetable. (Associated Press)

Foreign policy collides with the cost-of-living campaign

Sunday’s news placed energy prices at the center of several distinct foreign-policy decisions.

Trump wants Ukraine to reduce pressure on Russian refineries, hopes to obtain economic value from Iranian or Venezuelan oil and predicts that ending the Iran conflict will rapidly lower gasoline prices. Each position treats access to petroleum as a central element of American diplomacy.

The approach may provide a straightforward campaign message, but it also produces contradictions. Reducing attacks on Russia could strengthen the economy financing its invasion. Seeking control of Iranian oil could make a peace agreement more difficult. Maintaining tariffs on allies while granting personal exemptions can create uncertainty for businesses.

The AI debate presents a similar tension between speed and safeguards. Trump argues that slowing American companies could benefit China, while industry figures warn that unrestrained competition may create risks neither country can manage.

At home, the $5,000 dividend demonstrates the constitutional limit behind many presidential promises: Congress controls federal spending.

As Republicans seek to retain their narrow majorities, voters will be asked to judge not only Trump’s proposed outcomes but whether his administration has identified lawful, affordable and workable ways to achieve them.

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