The Latest: Trump’s diesel deal with Putin draws criticism from a frustrated Congress

President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been criticized by both Republicans and Democrats as fueling Russia’s war against Ukraine, violating existing U.S. laws and drawing the U.S. closer to Russia. It joins a growing list of instances where the president has sided with Putin, often at the expense of Ukraine — and U.S. interests.

Most Americans think Donald Trump is profiting off the presidency in unethical or illegal ways and is focused more on his wealth than helping people like them, a new AP-NORC poll finds.

Trump on Tuesday is planning to devote a big chunk of his dwindling time ahead of crucial midterm elections to fly all the way to Alaska, attempting to bolster a Republican incumbent senator in another sign that the GOP fears losing control of Congress.

The Latest:

Trump rally in Ohio included scuffle with protester

A protester wearing a “Release The Epstein Files” shirt disrupted Trump’s Ohio rally on Monday night.

Before the person was escorted from the event, video showed other attendees grabbing, shoving and pulling the protester’s hair.

The president mocked the protester from the stage and said people who disrupt his rallies are “scum.” Messages seeking more information were left with the Youngstown police and Mahoning County sheriff’s office.

New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia to hold first briefing

Zacharia officially started the job on Monday and watched from the sidelines as Trump answered questions from reporters as he departed the White House for a campaign trip to Ohio.

Her first press briefing was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Zacharia is a conservative commentator and had been a communications adviser to the media company that Trump owns and operates his social media site.

Trump announced her appointment last week. Zacharia succeeds Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in August following the birth of her second child.

FACT FOCUS: Posts falsely claim Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico was at a mental facility

Republican officials and conservative social media users spread unfounded rumors in recent days that state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee in a competitive Texas Senate race, had suffered a mental health crisis.

Questions about Talarico’s whereabouts began spreading after the candidate was not seen in public for nine days. But he and his campaign have repeatedly attributed his absence to the flu.

Here’s a closer look at the facts:

CLAIM: Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico was being treated in an Ohio mental health facility last week.

THE FACTS: This is false. The facility where he was said to have been treated has denied he was ever a patient there. Both he and his campaign have said he was recovering from the flu. Talarico has type 1 diabetes, which means he has a higher risk of developing complications from the flu. Regardless, Talarico’s schedule doesn’t align with what was presented as evidence of his stay at the mental health facility and images reviewed by The Associated Press showed Talarico at home over several days last week.

Federal judge orders Trump administration to halt work for a day on historic DC golf course

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Monday ordered a 24-hour halt to tree-cutting at the East Potomac Golf Course, a historic D.C. course that has been part of President Donald Trump’s plans to remake the city.

Reyes issued the order following a tense three-hour hearing in which she harshly criticized the government for having deceived her with its actions over the holiday weekend.

Reyes said the 24-hour temporary order could be extended to 14 days if necessary. It was limited to one day while the government tries to find a key Trump administration official to discuss why a massive tree-cutting at the park needed to occur over the holiday weekend, with little notification to plaintiffs in a lawsuit trying to halt renovation plans or the judge.

It’s the latest example of the erosion of trust between the government and the independent judiciary, as the Trump administration tries to steamroll scrutiny of its actions, from the White House ballroom to immigration enforcement.

Trump is heading all the way to Alaska in a sign of just how close its Senate race may be

It’s a long way from Washington, has a small population and hasn’t backed a Democrat for Senate in nearly 20 years.

Yet Trump on Tuesday will devote a big chunk of his dwindling time ahead of crucial midterm elections to head all the way to Alaska — attempting to bolster a Republican incumbent senator in another sign of GOP fears about retaining control of Congress after Election Day on Nov. 3.

Trump is headlining a rally for Sen. Dan Sullivan in Wasilla, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Anchorage — famous for being the hometown of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and the headquarters of the Iditarod sled dog race across the state.

Trump’s stop is part of a western swing also taking him to rallies in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday.

“Dan Sullivan’s a great senator,” Trump said last week, adding, “You look at the things he’s done. He would call me all the time because I think — I definitely know — nobody has helped Alaska like Donald Trump.”

Trump’s diesel deal with Putin draws criticism from a frustrated Congress

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood before Donald Trump during his first term at the White House and pointed a finger, declaring that with this president, “All roads lead to Putin.”

The stark assessment years ago from Pelosi echoed anew after Trump’s surprise announcement last week that he struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import tons of Russian diesel to the U.S. as a way to ease sky-high prices at the pumps for Americans ahead of the midterm elections.

Trump’s diesel deal with Putin has been criticized by both Republicans and Democrats as fueling Russia’s war against Ukraine, violating existing U.S. laws and drawing the U.S. closer to Russia. It joins a growing list of instances where the president has sided with Putin, often at the expense of Ukraine — and America’s own standing.

“The harm to the Ukrainians is real,” said William Taylor, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, in an interview Monday.

“And the cost to us, the United States, is high.”