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Trump waives Graham Act sanctions

News · Heat 4.6 / 10 · 10 shows · 59m airtime

Trump issued an executive order on October 16, 2026, waiving all sanctions under the Lindsey Graham Act, which he signed on September 18, certifying the waiver serves the national interest under Section 115. He later said he acted because Russia otherwise would not have returned Stephen Hubbard. Tillis calls the waiver beyond irresponsible and a capitulation to a Russian dictator; Hinson says easing sanctions makes her uneasy because she does not trust Putin; Graham backs the sanctions while understanding Trump's cost concerns. Kaine says lawmakers will try to trigger the act's congressional review mechanism. The discussion has widened to Europe's Russian energy purchases, Trump's refusal to drive Russia from the bargaining table, and a reported Putin proposal for a Trump-Xi…

How 10 podcasts covered it

  1. Legal AF by MeidasTouch, 2026-10-18 (23:13 to 27:17)
    Reads the Friday night waiver order line by line
    Reads from the Friday night executive order waiving every sanction in the Graham Act and argues it contradicts the statute Congress passed 86 to 11, tying it to Lavrov's Monday meetings with the GCC and Iran's foreign minister.
    New angle: Trump's order waives all Graham Act sanctions on Russia after he certified the waiver to Congress as in the national interest.
  2. Legal AF by MeidasTouch, 2026-10-18 (29:24 to 31:21)
    Reads Tillis's statement on the sanctions waiver
    Reads Senator Thom Tillis's statement on the Graham Act waiver, calling it beyond irresponsible and unconscionable, and argues 86 senators could convict Trump on impeachment if they acted. The segment stays with the waiver's legality and the Senate's role, adding Tillis's on-the-record response.
    New angle: Tillis called the sanctions waiver beyond irresponsible and said the administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator.
  3. Consider This from NPR, 2026-10-18 (1:26 to 2:19)
    Recaps the order and adds Zelensky's line
    Recaps the Friday executive order exempting Russia from Congress's sanctions and adds Zelensky's Meet the Press line that Kyiv hopes Washington stays at least in the middle. Stays inside the waiver story already on the record.
  4. Consider This from NPR, 2026-10-18 (3:37 to 5:32)
    Explains how the waiver works
    Explains the mechanics of the waiver: Congress passed the sanctions over the summer at Lindsey Graham's urging, the law let the president waive them with a national security justification, and Trump did so just before they took effect. Stays inside the order already on the record, adding only that Congress is out campaigning and can do little.
  5. Consider This from NPR, 2026-10-18 (5:35 to 6:25)
    Collects three senators' reactions
    Collects on-the-record reactions to the waiver from three senators: Graham backs the sanctions while understanding the cost concerns, Lankford defends the balancing act, Schumer condemns the deal. Adds a named lawmaker response the card did not have.
    New angle: Graham told the AP she backs the Russia sanctions while understanding Trump's cost concerns.
  6. Morning Wire, 2026-10-19 (16:20 to 17:46)
    Corrects the waiver framing and adds Europe's gas
    Corrects the framing that Trump is dropping the Graham Act sanctions, saying he is waiving them for about a month while keeping them available. Adds the European angle: Europe is the third-largest buyer of Russian energy, is not on track for its January 1, 2027 gas phase-out, and the EU Council enacted its 22nd package last week.
    New angle: Europe is the third-largest purchaser of Russian energy and shows no sign of meeting its January 1, 2027 gas phase-out.
  7. The Bulwark Daily, 2026-10-19 (8:00 to 12:40)
    Reads Trump's post siding with Putin
    Reads Trump's Truth Social post as an open siding with Putin: he says he won't drive Russia from the bargaining table and blames Zelensky for bombing diesel refineries. Also flags that the White House did not shoot down the reported Putin summit proposal.
    New angle: Trump posted that he will not drive Russia from the bargaining table and blamed Zelensky for bombing diesel refineries.
  8. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-20 (10:37 to 12:13)
    Adds a Republican's unease over the Russia waiver
    Puts a Republican Senate candidate on the record against the waiver: Hinson says easing sanctions on Russia makes her uneasy because she does not trust Putin, and that the U.S. should not rely on Russian oil. A new named reaction from inside the party, not a retelling.
    New angle: Hinson says easing sanctions on Russia makes her uneasy because she does not trust Putin.
  9. Pod Save America, 2026-10-20 (5:55 to 14:35)
    Recaps the waiver and argues it favors Putin
    Recaps the Friday-night waiver of the Graham Act sanctions, the diesel deal and the energy ceasefire, then argues Trump is relieving pressure on Putin rather than applying it. Stays inside the week's coverage, adding only the hosts' read.
  10. Pivot, 2026-10-20 (25:37 to 32:07)
    Adds the Putin-Xi summit that excludes Zelensky
    Covers Trump's executive order pausing the bipartisan Russia sanctions and the bipartisan backlash, then widens into a long argument that abandoning Ukraine is the administration's worst decision. The reported Putin-Trump-Xi summit excluding Zelensky is the sharpest new detail.
    New angle: Putin is reportedly floating a Trump-Xi summit on the Ukraine deal that excludes Zelensky.
  11. What Next, 2026-10-21 (15:56 to 18:03)
    Recaps the waiver and Beyer's September warning
    Recaps the waiver through the Graham Act's design, with a co-host calling the bill a nothing burger that let the president ignore any part he disliked. Adds one on-the-record item: Don Beyer's September prediction that Ukraine supporters would regret the bill.
    New angle: Don Beyer predicted in September that Ukraine supporters would regret the Graham Act if it passed.
  12. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-23 (10:42 to 12:43)
    Reports Kaine's plan to trigger review
    Relays Republican senators' bafflement at the Russia sanctions waiver, including one senior member wondering whether Putin has something on the president, and reports Tim Kaine's plan to trigger the Graham Act's congressional review mechanism.
    New angle: Tim Kaine says lawmakers will try to trigger the Graham Act's congressional review mechanism over the waivers.
  13. The Daily Show: Ears Edition, 2026-10-25 (1:15 to 20:53)
    Interviews David Corn on the Putin courtship
    Interviews David Corn on his book How Russia Won, pegged to Trump's new sanctions deal against the Lindsey Graham Act. Corn traces a roughly 12-year courtship of Putin, from the 2013 Miss Universe contest to the Alaska summit, and argues Trump now wants deals with Russia regardless of the war.
    New angle: Trump announced a new sanctions deal against the Lindsey Graham Act, passed a month earlier.
  14. Today, Explained, 2026-10-27 (6:09 to 9:10)
    Ties the sanctions waiver to the Hubbard release
    Ties the Graham Act waiver to the Hubbard release and the diesel deal, with Ward arguing the diesel volume is too small to move U.S. prices and that the Iran war, not Russia, drives them. The on-record explanation from Trump for the waiver is the new piece.
    New angle: Trump said he waived the Graham Act sanctions because Russia otherwise would not have returned Stephen Hubbard.
Unpacking...