News From Around the Web
#1 Aiming at Fuel Costs, Trump Opens Tax-Exempt ‘Red Dye’ Diesel to All Drivers - Steve Kopack and Christina Wilkie for NBC News, CSPAN, New York Post, CNN, Bloomberg, and Reuters on X
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday intended to help bring down sky-high diesel prices by allowing anyone to purchase tax-exempt “red dye” diesel. “Tonight I’m going to sign a historic executive order to officially waive the off-road requirement and allow anyone to purchase tax-free red dye diesel for any reason,” Trump said at a rally in Nebraska after he told the audience he didn’t “know what the hell” red dye diesel is. Taxes on diesel are based on how it is used. Road diesel meant for long-distance transport is subject to federal and state taxes. But diesel intended for farm vehicles and machinery is typically tax-free and dyed red, so regulators and inspectors can tell it apart from road diesel...
#2 Palm Beach GOP Endorses Candidate Accused of Child Sex Abuse - Brittany Wallman for The Miami Herald, Shannon Watts, Ron DeSantis, Travis Akers, James Fishback/Evan Power, and RyanMatta on X
Suspended Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts Mike Caruso said he still “intend[s] to win” the November election and has not abandoned his campaign — nor has the local Republican Party abandoned him — even after his August arrest on allegations he molested a small child. In a statement to the Miami Herald issued via his spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, Caruso said he is still running for the clerk and comptroller post, despite indications to the contrary. Caruso’s campaign website is down, and his campaign finance reports show he refunded two recent contributors and a campaign data vendor...
#3 Epstein Whistleblower Simon Andriesz Dies After Exposing Lutnick Ties - Alison Durkee for Forbes, Alex Jones, Adam, Wayne Waldop, Kim Iversen, and Michael Tracey on X
Simon Andriesz, a whistleblower who exposed ties in the Epstein files between Jeffrey Epstein and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, has died by suicide, The Banker reports, renewing scrutiny over Lutnick and his business links to Epstein. The Banker reported Andriesz’ death Friday citing Transparency Task Group founder Andy Agathangelou, who said Andriesz had died by suicide the week before, and a representative for Andriesz also confirmed"> his death on the whistleblower’s X account Monday. Andriesz was a former Wall Street executive who worked for BCG Partners, a subsidiary of Lutnick’s Cantor Fitzgerald, before being terminated in 2017...
#4 Trump Says US Will Help Russia After Plague Death in Siberia - Bloomberg/Yahoo, CSPAN, New York Post, Axios, Fox News, and The Hill on X
President Donald Trump said the US was looking into a suspected plague case in Russia following the death of a worker at a laboratory and would offer authorities there assistance. "We're looking at it very strongly, we just heard about it," Trump told reporters Monday. "They call it pneumonia. And pneumonia, you know, years ago you could treat pneumonia easier. The microbes and the germs have gotten stronger, disproportionately, but we'll help them," Trump said. "We'll help them as much as we can."#5 Battle Over Daylight Saving Time Erupts as Push to Stop Changing Clocks Hits Senate Wall - Alex Miller for Fox News, NEWSMAX, The Hill, Steven Huffman, USA Today, and WTVC NewsChannel 9 on X
The battle over Americans’ clocks reemerged in an unlikely way over the weekend, with President Donald Trump picking a fight with one of his top allies over the issue. There have been many fights in Congress over the nearly two years that Trump has been in office for his second term that either ended in partisan victory or gloriously fizzled out, but one has quietly gone onto the shelf despite his pressure on Republicans to do something about it. And that fight is over allowing states to voluntarily observe Daylight Saving Time year-round to effectively do away with the twice-a-year ritual of changing clocks. It’s a popular issue with voters and the president, and there’s a bill that passed the House this summer to enact the change. But it’s a policy issue that has divided both sides of the aisle and ground to a halt in the upper chamber...
#6 Trump Uses Anti-Trans Slur Against Democratic Senate Candidate in South Carolina - Raquel Coronell Uribe for NBC News, Garrett Haake, Dr. Annie Andrews, Brenden Dilley, Gillian Branstetter, and Nick Sortor on X
President Donald Trump used an anti-trans slur Monday to attack the Democratic nominee for the Senate in South Carolina as he urged voters to back Republican Sen. Darline Graham. In a Truth Social post, Trump referred to Democratic candidate Annie Andrews three times as “trannie.” He said Andrews, who is not transgender, is “not for South Carolina.” “And South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her,” Trump added. Andrews responded by largely ignoring the insult, saying in a statement first shared with NBC News that she will “work with anyone to put South Carolina first.”
#7 Trump Administration Announces New Additions to Hospital Price Transparency Regulations - Joseph Choi for The Hill, MAHA Action, Eric Daugherty, Terrence K. Williams, and Dr. OZ CMS on X
The Trump administration announced new amendments Monday to the hospital price transparency rules enacted during President Trump’s first term, aimed at making pricing data more accessible and understandable for patients. The rule finalized by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the IRS builds on the federal rule that requires hospitals to publish their prices in a machine-readable file so patients can find and compare the cost of services beforehand...
#8 Plea Hearing Set for Former CIA Officer Who Allegedly Had Gold Bars in His Home - Luke Barr and Alexander Mallin for ABC News, Clash Report, NEWSMAX, Eric Daugherty, Patricia, and Mario Nawfal on X
A plea hearing has been set for Tuesday for the former CIA officer accused of keeping $40 million worth of gold bars in his house, according to court records. David Rush is accused of stealing money from the government and lying about his academic credentials and military experience, according to a federal complaint unsealed earlier this year. During the investigation, FBI agents found more than 300 gold bars estimated to be worth more than $40 million and other valuables at the defendant's Virginia residence, according to the affidavit...
#9 After Bipartisan Criticism, Trump Says Taxpayers’ Dollars Will No Longer Be Used for TV Ads Promoting Him - Raquel Coronell Uribe for NBC News, CNN, CNBC, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, and Jamie Dupree on X
In a major reversal, President Donald Trump said Monday that he and his super PAC will now pay for campaign-style ads that promote his administration, instead of using federal funds. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social after intense criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, some of whom questioned the legality of using taxpayer dollars for pro-Trump ads. “The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A., and paying for them with U.S.A. money,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This is a rather standard thing to do, but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.”
#10 Former Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Lands Her Next Gig: Fox News Contributor - Jocelyn Noveck for AP, MissCrayon, John E Tiffany, LMO2023, Ronald K. Hanzel, and Steven Gorges on X
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has found her next chapter: She is heading to Fox News. Leavitt will serve as an on-air contributor beginning Nov. 1, the network said Monday. “Karoline’s firsthand experience in the White House and on the presidential campaign trail gives her a distinct understanding of today’s political landscape,” said the network’s CEO, Suzanne Scott. For her part, Leavitt, in the same statement, said she looked forward “to bringing my unique perspective from my experience as White House Press Secretary, along with the same energy and candor that defined my tenure, to Fox’s millions of viewers across their many platforms.”
