Podcast · ms.now
Deadline: White House
Nicolle Wallace, MS NOW
Drawing on years of experience as communications chief for President George W. Bush and senior advisor for the McCain-Palin campaign, Nicolle Wallace provides political insight and clarity on where the decision-makers stand on complex issues. Join her for analysis and discussion with the key newsmakers every weekday.
172 claims
True85% confidence8 sourcesOct 28, 2026The Trump administration is exploring lifting sanctions on a Russian fund described as Vladimir Putin's slush fund.Said by BAs of 2026-10-28, the Trump administration was exploring lifting sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which the Biden administration had called Putin's 'slush fund'. A US official confirmed the application was being assessed, and a Kremlin aide said the talks were ongoing on Oct 28-29.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True85% confidence8 sourcesOct 28, 2026Trump administration envoys and Vladimir Putin have discussed the sale of part of a Russian oil giant to an investor group.Said by BMultiple sources, citing the New York Times, report that Trump's envoys (Witkoff and Kushner) and Putin discussed the sale of Russian oil giant assets (Lukoil) to an investor group, with the Kremlin-linked Ushakov also confirming discussions with the administration on related topics. The claim's wording ('part of a Russian oil giant') matches the reporting, which specifies overseas assets of Lukoil; the extraction is faithful to the passage.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True80% confidence7 sourcesOct 28, 2026Executives resigned from a natural gas project in Alaska due to concerns about hidden Russian financing.Said by BMultiple reliable outlets (NYT, WSJ, and FT reporting carried by others) report that senior Polar LNG executives, including CEO Joel Riddle, resigned in September and that Riddle's stated reason was concern about Novatek's hidden financing and control. Polar LNG denies the allegations and calls Riddle a disgruntled former employee fired for cause, but no authority has established otherwise, so the claim is supported as reported.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True70% confidence8 sourcesOct 28, 2026Donald Trump Jr. went on a hunting trip in Mongolia with a Kremlin-linked businessman.Said by BThe Financial Times reporting, as carried by several outlets, says Donald Trump Jr. spent two days in August 2026 on a hunting trip in western Mongolia with Umar Kremlev, a businessman with close ties to Vladimir Putin's security service, and the claim's core assertion is supported. The claim drops the 'according to the Financial Times' attribution, but the core fact is graded normally, and the spokesperson's 'personal friendship' characterization does not contradict the trip itself. Most supporting sources trace back to the FT's single investigation, which caps confidence.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True72% confidence6 sourcesOct 28, 2026House Democrats are laying the groundwork to probe the Trump administration's easing of energy sanctions against Russia.Said by BMultiple sources from late October 2026 report that Democrats, including House member Gregory Meeks, were laying the groundwork to investigate the Trump administration's easing of sanctions on Russian diesel, so the claim held as of 2026-10-28. The claim drops the Axios attribution and emphasizes House Democrats, while several sources focus on Senate Democrats; Axios describes Democrats in both chambers.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True60% confidence5 sourcesOct 28, 2026Federal corruption and conflict of interest laws do not apply to the president's family members if they do not hold an official government position.Said by 3CSources support the core claim that conflict-of-interest provisions (e.g., 18 U.S.C. §208) do not reach family members who are private persons without government roles: the OLC opinion says informal advisory relationships with relatives in personal capacities do not make them employees subject to Title 18 conflict laws. The claim's broader 'corruption' wording is not directly addressed for family members, since anti-bribery statutes apply to private individuals generally, and the sources note this for the president rather than relatives; the extraction faithfully tracks the passage.True92% confidence6 sourcesOct 28, 2026Senator Richard Blumenthal sent a message to shipping companies to reverse course on transporting Russian diesel to US ports.Said by BBlumenthal's own October 27, 2026 press release says he wrote to two shipping companies demanding they recall tankers carrying Russian diesel to US ports, and multiple outlets dated October 28 report his 'reverse course while there's still time' message. The claim is a faithful paraphrase of the posted quote and is supported as of 2026-10-28.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True85% confidence10 sourcesOct 28, 2026The president has discretion under new sanctions legislation to decide whether or not to apply sanctions.Said by 3CThe Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, signed September 18, 2026, gives the president discretion over whether and how to apply its sanctions, and section 115 lets the president waive them, as sources confirm. The sources also note that the discretion was exercised through an October 16 executive order waiving the Act's tariffs and most Russia sanctions, but that does not change the state of the law on October 28.True92% confidence6 sourcesOct 28, 2026Congressman Jamie Raskin warned oil companies that they will be held accountable if they import Russian diesel fuel under a deal struck by Donald Trump with the Kremlin.Said by BRaskin's October 26, 2026 letter to API, U.S. Chamber, and AFPM warned that companies importing Russian diesel under Trump's deal would be 'held accountable,' matching the claim. The claim is faithful to the passage, and the sources confirm the warning was issued on or before 2026-10-28; the White House disputes that the deal is illegal, which does not affect whether the warning was made.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True93% confidence7 sourcesOct 28, 2026The Associated Press reported that social media videos produced with artificial intelligence and linked to Russia are misusing real people's names and photographs to spread disinformation about two Democratic Senate candidates.Said by BThe AP's October 28, 2026 report says social media videos believed to be produced with AI and linked to Russia are misusing real people's names and photographs to spread disinformation about two Democratic Senate candidates (Sherrod Brown and James Talarico). The claim matches the passage's quote, and independent reporting from PolitiFact and NPR corroborates the Russia-linked campaign.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True85% confidence6 sourcesOct 28, 2026Elon Musk is the biggest donor to Republican campaigns.Said by BAs of 2026-10-28, multiple sources including Reuters and AP reported that Musk was the biggest known donor in the 2026 midterms, with most of his giving going to Republican groups, so the claim holds on that date. The sources describe him as the largest known or single donor rather than the largest donor of any kind, a minor qualifier that does not change the verdict.True90% confidence7 sourcesOct 28, 2026A video depicting a newscast includes pictures of Haya Akhbari, who interned for Sherrod Brown several years ago.Said by BThe AP report, republished in several outlets, says the AI-manipulated video depicts a newscast and includes pictures of Haya Akbik, a former intern for Sherrod Brown several years ago. The claim's name spelling ("Akhbari") matches the passage but differs from the sources' "Akbik", which appears to be the same person. The claim drops the post's qualifier that the video "appears to include some AI manipulation," which is a faithful simplification, and PolitiFact and Lead Stories confirm the fabricated newscast.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.