Trump is making big promises on the campaign trail — but with strings attached.
asserted
Trump → make → strings
Special envoy Steve Witkoff praises President Vladimir Putin after Russia frees a retired American teacher.
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Russia → praise → teacher
And actor Christina Applegate reveals an MS misdiagnosis.
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Applegate → reveal → misdiagnosis
Here’s what to know today.
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Here → ’ → what
Trump keeps promising ‘goodies’ on the campaign trail — only if Republicans win
It’s not just $5,000 checks President Donald Trump is promising to Americans if Republicans win the midterms.
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Republicans → promise → midterms
He’s teasing “more goodies” that won’t come to states if the Democrats take hold of Congress.
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Democrats → tease → Congress
This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day.
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This → start → day
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.
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sale → rally → summer
In Kentucky, he promised a $100 million investment in a pharmaceutical company’s manufacturing facility.
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he → promise → facility
In Ohio, Trump said he’d “very strongly” consider the state for the Space Force Academy.
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he → say → Academy
But only if his preferred Republican candidates win and the GOP maintains control of Congress.
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GOP → prefer → Congress
It’s part of a pattern for Trump, using the power of his office as a carrot — or stick — to advance his politician ambitions.
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It → ’ → ambitions
Democrats have criticized the president’s statements about making support conditional.
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support → criticize → statements
A recent NBC News Decision Desk poll found that just 14% of U.S. adults expect the $5,000 check Trump pledged.
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Trump → find → check
Even 47% of self-identified Republicans say they don’t expect to receive one.
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they → identify → one
- How are things looking in Texas?
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things → look → Texas
See who’s running and how Republicans and Democrats fared in past elections.
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Republicans → see → elections
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.”
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mother → claim → her
The Defense Department’s review of the U.S.’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.
uncertain
review → release → 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.
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Washington → free → war
The news of Hubbard’s release came as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Putin early today in St. Petersburg.
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Witkoff → come → 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.
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Witkoff → air → release
“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian.
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president → talk → ?
You are a humanitarian also, sir,” Witkoff said.
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Witkoff → say → ?
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.
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release → court → conflict
Witkoff’s meeting with Putin came a day after he and other U.S. envoys met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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he → come → 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.
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Trump → shift → Kremlin
U.S. fertility rate hits another record low
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rate → hit → low
The U.S. fertility rate hit a new record low in 2025, according to a new CDC report.
uncertain
rate → hit → report
For every 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, around 53 gave birth in 2025, compared to nearly 54 the previous year.
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53 → give → 54
The results show that birth rates increased last year among women ages 30 to 44, while births among women under 30 declined.
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births → show → 30
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.
uncertain
population → decline → economy
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.
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they → argue → goals
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.
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she → win → sclerosis
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.
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she → know → 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.
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who → ’ → MS
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.
asserted
information → disrupt → pain
Symptoms may be shared across multiple conditions, making it difficult to diagnose.
uncertain
it → share → conditions
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.
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that → wake → ocean
In Long Beach, residents told me they watched in horror as high surf flooded homes and doused rooftops with ocean water.
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surf → tell → water
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
