Trump is making big promises on the campaign trail — but with strings attached. Special envoy Steve Witkoff praises President Vladimir Putin after Russia frees a retired American teacher. And actor Christina Applegate reveals an MS misdiagnosis.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump keeps promising ‘goodies’ on the campaign trail — only if Republicans win
It’s not just $5,000 payments President Donald Trump is promising to Americans if Republicans win the midterms. He’s teasing “more goodies” that won’t come to states if the Democrats take hold of Congress.
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Just this week in Kansas while rallying for Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, Trump promised the sale of fuel blended with 15% ethanol would no longer be restricted in the summer. In Kentucky, he promised a $100 million investment in a pharmaceutical company’s manufacturing facility. In Ohio, Trump said he’d “very strongly” consider the state for the Space Force Academy.
But only if his preferred Republican candidates win and the GOP maintains control of Congress.
It’s part of a pattern for Trump, using the power of his office as a carrot — or stick — to advance his political ambitions.
Democrats have criticized the president’s statements about making support conditional. And more broadly, there has been some skepticism about his claims.
A recent NBC News Decision Desk poll found that just 14% of U.S. adults expect the $5,000 payment Trump pledged. Even 47% of self-identified Republicans say they don’t expect to receive one.
Dive deeper into the 2026 election:
- See the latest polling and the battleground states in play.
- Track early voting tallies by age, gender and more.
- How are things looking in Texas? See who’s running and how Republicans and Democrats fared in past elections. Then, scroll to the end of the page to explore data in other states.
More politics news:
- For subscribers: Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for Ohio governor claimed responsibility for a video attacking Democratic rival Amy Acton, featuring her estranged mother calling her a “liar.”
- For subscribers: The Defense Department’s review of the U.S.’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 could be released in the coming days and is expected to question senior military officers involved in the widely criticized operation.
Russia frees retired American teacher as Trump envoy meets with Putin
Russia has released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard, 74, the latest sign of warmer ties between the two countries as Washington pressures Kyiv to agree to a deal to end Moscow’s war.
The news of Hubbard’s release came as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Putin early today in St. Petersburg. In remarks aired on Russian state news agencies, Putin said that Hubbard was at the airport and Witkoff lauded the Russian leader for his release. “You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir,” Witkoff said.
The U.S. has courted the Kremlin for weeks, and the release of Hubbard — a retired Michigan schoolteacher detained in Ukraine in 2022 — will give Trump a victory to tout after backlash at home and abroad for his tilt away from Kyiv in the conflict.
Witkoff’s meeting with Putin came a day after he and other U.S. envoys met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump has been shifting away from Kyiv in recent weeks, criticizing Zelenskyy, waiving sanctions on Russia and agreeing to a diesel deal with the Kremlin.
Read more about the U.S.-Russia talks.
U.S. fertility rate hits another record low
The U.S. fertility rate hit a new record low in 2025, according to a new CDC report. For every 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, around 53 gave birth in 2025, compared to nearly 54 the previous year. The results show that birth rates increased last year among women ages 30 to 44, while births among women under 30 declined.
The country’s declining birth rate has raised concerns among some conservative politicians who fear the effects a shrinking population could have on the economy and national security. On the other hand, many population researchers argue the declining fertility rate largely reflects a drop in teen pregnancies and more women waiting to have children until they’ve achieved career and education goals.
The other countries where fertility rates have fallen.
Christina Applegate ‘back at square one’ after MS misdiagnosis
Emmy-winning actor Christina Applegate revealed yesterday on her podcast that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than five years ago, a development she says she is “not happy at all” about.
Applegate, best known for her roles in “Married… with Children” and “Dead to Me,” said she feels she is “back at square one” as she continues to experience debilitating medical issues.
“It’s weird, because I feel like I let everybody down,” she told her “MeSsy” podcast co-host, actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who was diagnosed with MS about 25 years ago.
MS is a progressive disease in the central nervous system that disrupts how information flows between the brain and the body, causing symptoms including pain and paralysis. Symptoms may be shared across multiple conditions, making it difficult to diagnose.
What else Applegate said about her misdiagnosis.
Staff Pick: California residents woke up to their homes sliding into the ocean
We’re still months away from the peak of El Niño and already homes that were once protected by wide beaches and boardwalks have crumbled into the ocean. In Long Beach, residents told me they watched in horror as high surf flooded homes and doused rooftops with ocean water.
“I knew it was toast,” one resident said of his two-floor apartment building, which crumbled into the Pacific in the early Oct. 9.
Southern California’s fragile coastline is being transformed one storm at a time by record-setting king tides and storm surges. In talking to experts who study weather and tidal patterns, one thing became very clear: the destruction we’ve seen in the last two months is just a preview of what’s still to come. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, California-based reporter
Read All About It
- Kyle Francis Kennedy, a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, died at age 42 after a severe spinal cord injury resulted in years of medical issues.
- For subscribers: How France’s far right has capitalized on a weekend of riots, looting and chaos.
- A 19-year-old woman filed a lawsuit alleging she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house near the University of Chicago. In an interview with NBC News, the woman said the incident is “the first thing I think about whenever I wake up … and the last thing I think about whenever I fall asleep.”
- Netflix reported 12% revenue growth in its third quarter a week after laying off roughly 1,000 employees and ousting several top executives.
- Australian lawmaker Helen Haines has had both legs amputated after being rammed by a car outside her electoral office, her husband said, as the man accused of the attack appeared in court.
NBC Selected: Online Shopping, Simplified
Don’t fire that breakfast griddle up just yet — your bacon may be at risk. Here’s what you need to know about the 1.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat products that were just recalled. Plus, we talked to experts about how to keep perishable food fresh during a power outage.
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