On Tuesday, 12 US senators, including 6 Republicans, denounced the agreement announced by President Donald Trump to purchase Russian diesel, describing it as a “betrayal of the Ukrainian people,” which increases pressure on Washington to back down from lifting the sanctions imposed on Moscow.
These lawmakers wrote in a public letter to Trump: “The agreement you concluded with President Vladimir Putin on October 9 will not lead to fair results, and will not benefit the Americans either,” according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
They considered that the expected lifting of US sanctions on Russian diesel exports “will only enable Putin to increase funding for his war machine.”
They added, “Giving Moscow the ability to freely sell Russian diesel on global markets harms American security interests and constitutes a betrayal of the Ukrainian people.”
They also recalled in their letter that Congress had recently approved a new package of sanctions against Russia, and thus they called on Trump to “exert economic pressure on Russia and on the main parties complicit in this war, especially China,” with the aim of strengthening the US president’s position in the negotiations aimed at “putting a quick end to this devastating conflict.”
Donald Trump's announcement, on Friday, of reaching an agreement with Moscow to lift some sanctions imposed on Russian diesel, came less than a month before the midterm elections that may cost the Republican billionaire his majority in Congress due to the issue of the cost of living, especially fuel prices.
After more than a week without any appearances in his election campaign due to a severe cold, billionaire Elon Musk and conservative Republicans on the “X” platform and other social media promoted theories about the mental health of the Democratic Senate candidate for Texas, James Talarico.
By last Sunday, a post on X claimed that Tallarico was in the Lindner Hope Center psychiatric facility in Ohio, a story promoted by allies of his Republican rival, state Attorney General Ken Paxton. President Donald Trump intervened, arguing that the Democratic representative's recovery period was too long to be a mere "flu."
The theory surrounding Tallarico originated in right-wing circles, and spread more widely when right-wing influencer Nick Sortor posted an audio clip he claimed was from a medical clinic employee stating that Talarico had recently left the hospital. Calling on the Democratic candidate from Texas to withdraw from the race. The clip received 7.3 million views.
"It's dangerous"
Commenting on the allegation that Talarico was admitted to a mental health center in suburban Cincinnati, Musk wrote, “The Talarico campaign is hiding something serious that voters should know.” Musk's response received more than 870,000 views, more than double the number of views of the post to which he responded.
As a result, the sanatorium took the unprecedented step of officially announcing that Talarico had never received treatment there. “Representative James Tallarico did not receive any treatment from the Lindner Center for Hope,” the center wrote in a statement.
As for Talarico, who has returned to his election campaign since Friday, he wrote a post in which he shared the sanatorium’s statement, saying: “I have never visited Ohio.” He described this rumor in a press interview as “the strangest thing I have ever heard in my life.”
The New York Times newspaper published that it obtained dated photos from a surveillance camera in Talarico's home, provided by his election campaign, showing Talarico walking around the house and its entrances during the first week of October, reflecting a turbulent phase for the Senate race in Texas, one of the most prominent and expensive competitions in the midterm elections that will be held on November 3.
Misinformation environment
The uproar over Talarico's absence was unprecedented on many levels, and showed how distrust of politicians and the mainstream media, as well as internet algorithms that encourage the spread of false theories, have created a chaotic environment full of misinformation. The incident provided a lesson for Democrats: In this day and age, it is a huge political risk for a candidate to disappear, even one too ill to campaign, for nine days.
On the other hand, this showed how concerned Republicans in Texas are about the chances of their candidate, Paxton, in light of Tallarico's continued lead in the polls, despite the Republican Party spending hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising. No Democrat has won a statewide election in more than three decades.
In the early days, Talarico's absence attracted little attention, and he appeared at a fundraising event in New York on September 29. The next day, he appeared ill and spoke online at another campaign event, telling the audience that he had the flu.
Gradually, Paxton began to inflame the situation; Firstly, report on Tallarico's cancellation of electoral activity. He then led his supporters in a chant: "Where's James Tallarico?" During an election rally with President Trump. He finally announced the establishment of a hotline to receive information about Tallarico's whereabouts.
Clinton's podcast
With the midterm elections approaching in less than three weeks, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will begin, on Wednesday, new “podcast” episodes entitled “High Stakes,” in cooperation with journalist Kara Swisher, in order to analyze the races to control the House of Representatives and the Senate.
When asked about this podcast, Clinton said: “I do not believe that the risks facing the country and the world could be greater.” She added: “If we do not stop this chaos, corruption, and cruelty that this administration is inflicting on us, we will not recognize our country.”
Many voters feel disillusioned with the Democratic establishment, of which Clinton remains a major part. Clinton noted that many Democrats in hotly contested races are now asking her for help with their campaigns and fundraising.
