U.S. waives new Russia sanctions and tariffs.
Today's events
Russia tariff waiver.
Executive Order 14436 set a 500 percent duty on Russian goods and 100 percent on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas, then waived all of it with a national-interest certification to Congress.1Oct 21 · Fed. Reg.Starlink and Ukraine.
Rubio, in Mumbai, said neither the President nor anyone in the U.S. system requested changes to the Starlink service, and rejected Ukrainian claims that Washington withheld what Kyiv needed.2Oct 21 · StateIndia trade deal.
Rubio said the U.S.–India trade agreement is down to technical details and is expected in a matter of weeks, not months, with the Trade Representative negotiating it.3Oct 20 · StateRansomware advisory.
The FBI, the Homeland Security cyber agency and the Secret Service, with German and British police, published the tactics of SafePay, which has hit at least 600 victims across four continents since 2024.4Oct 20 · CISAMoon accords.
Uzbekistan became the 77th signatory of the Artemis Accords at a ceremony in Samarkand during Rubio's visit, committing to transparency and non-interference rules for lunar activity.5Oct 20 · NASAFraud rewards.
Justice created the first whistleblower program that pays before a case ends — $10,000 to $30,000 up front for tips leading to criminal charges over fraud on federal benefit and health-care programs.6Oct 20 · DOJAustria dialogue.
Washington and Vienna agreed to expand cooperation on semiconductors, quantum and research security, noting $23 billion in two-way goods trade and Austria's election to the UN Security Council for 2027–28.7Oct 19 · StateVisa-worker settlement.
Justice and the employment-discrimination agency secured $5 million from Instacart, which made U.S. applicants mail paper applications for jobs it was advertising to sponsor visa holders for green cards.8Oct 20 · DOJTen bills signed.
The President signed ten bills, including one extending Interior's authority to collect oil-and-gas permit fees and another ordering a Commerce study on making high-demand imported goods domestically.9Oct 20 · WH
This week
Russia sanctions, signed and suspended.
On October 16 the President implemented the Russia and Iran sanctions law Congress passed in September, setting 500 percent duties on Russian goods and 100 percent on the five largest buyers of Russian oil, then waiving all of it with a national-interest certification to Congress. Rubio said the President wants the 60-day window to analyze what imposing both sanctions and tariffs would mean for the global economy, and linked the decision to tariffs on India.1Oct 16 · WHUkraine’s satellites.
Rubio denied twice that Washington slowed the Starlink links Ukraine’s drones fly on, at Joint Base Andrews on October 18 and again in Mumbai on October 21, calling the reports categorically false. He confirmed separately that Kyiv has asked for access to Starshield, the military’s own satellite network, to run deep strikes inside Russia. That request was still pending at week’s end.2Oct 18–21 · StateDeepSeek removed.
Homeland Security ordered DeepSeek products excluded and removed from federal civilian executive-branch information-technology systems and procurements, in a six-page order filed October 19 and published the next day. It landed in the same week State sanctioned five entities connected to Linwei Ding, the Chinese national convicted in January on seven counts of stealing Google trade secrets on superintelligence technology.3Oct 19 · DHSSuperintelligence guidance.
NIST, the National Security Agency’s Super Intelligence Security Center and the homeland cyber agency published ten voluntary practices on October 16 for organizations training highly capable AI agents, covering containment, evidence preservation and shutdown. The guidance defines a control incident as an agent taking uninstructed actions that compromise the policies and security measures scoping its task.4Oct 16 · CISAGoogle ad tech remedies.
A federal court in Virginia imposed interoperability and data-sharing requirements on Google on October 16, barred self-preferencing in its advertising auctions, and ordered close integration with rivals including the open-source Prebid. Justice called it a second round of substantial relief against the company. Three days later the same division closed its investigation of the Seismic–Highspot merger, citing fast-growing AI entrants.5Oct 16 · DOJCentral Asia ministerial.
The United States and the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan issued a joint statement in Samarkand on October 19 committing to the Trans-Caspian Trade Route and deeper energy and supply-chain cooperation. The corridor runs from China to Europe across the Caspian, bypassing Russia. Uzbekistan signed the Artemis Accords the next day as the 77th participant.6Oct 19 · State
Allied Governments
Saudi air defence.
Britain will fly Royal Air Force Typhoons on defensive missions over Saudi cities and infrastructure against Houthi drones and missiles, adding a transport aircraft and advisers but no offensive strikes.aOct 20 · UK MoDMalacca drone defence.
Japan signed a 1.65 billion yen grant giving the Royal Malaysian Navy counter-drone equipment — the first such package under its security-assistance program — to guard the Strait of Malacca.bOct 20 · Japan MoFAKosovo mission review.
Britain told the UN Security Council that more than 1,500 people remain unaccounted for since the conflict and urged a strategic review of the UN mission as Kosovo's own institutions take over.cOct 20 · UK FCDO
Voices
“I am hereby waiving the application of such sanctions, restrictions, and duties provided for in the Graham Act.”
Executive Order 14436 · Oct 211
“What I can tell you with certainty is the President of the United States nor anyone in our system ever requested that any changes to that system be made.”
Sec. of State Marco Rubio, Mumbai · Oct 212
“Since August 2024, SafePay ransomware group’s operations have affected a wide range of businesses and critical infrastructure in North America, South America, Europe, and Australia.”
FBI–CISA joint advisory · Oct 204
“President Trump has directed NASA to build a Moon Base and establish an enduring presence on the lunar surface.”
NASA Dep. Administrator Matt Anderson · Oct 205
“I urge all Americans to use this program and play an active role in bringing fraudsters to justice.”
AG Todd Blanche, DOJ · Oct 206
“Discrimination against workers based on their American national origin has no place in our economy.”
Chair Andrea Lucas, EEOC · Oct 208
Sources
- Federal Register, “Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026” (Executive Order 14436 of October 16, 2026), published October 21, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/eo-14436-graham-act
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press” (Mumbai), October 21, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/rubio-press-remarks-mumbai
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Rahul Joshi of News18,” October 20, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/rubio-news18-interview
- CISA / FBI / U.S. Secret Service, “#StopRansomware: SafePay Ransomware” (AA26-293A), October 20, 2026. cisa.gov/cybersecurity-advisories/…/safepay-ransomware
- NASA, “NASA Welcomes Uzbekistan as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory,” October 20, 2026. nasa.gov/artemis-accords/…/uzbekistan-signatory
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Justice Department Announces Innovative Whistleblower Rewards Program to Combat Fraud,” October 20, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/fraud-whistleblower-rewards
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Joint Statement on the U.S.-Austria Strategic Dialogue,” October 19, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/us-austria-strategic-dialogue
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Civil Rights Division and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Secure $5,000,000 Joint Settlement with Instacart for Discriminating Against U.S. Workers,” October 20, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/instacart-settlement
- White House, “Congressional Bills H.R. 227, H.R. 837, H.R. 1721, H.R. 2388, H.R. 2481, H.R. 3620, H.R. 4307, H.R. 4467, H.R. 6380, and H.R. 7831 Signed into Law,” October 20, 2026. whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/…/bills-signed-into-law
- UK Ministry of Defence, “Operational update 20 October – UK military support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” October 20, 2026. gov.uk/government/news/…/uk-support-saudi-arabia
- Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Signing and Exchange of Notes for Official Security Assistance (OSA) FY 2026 project to the Royal Malaysian Navy,” October 20, 2026. mofa.go.jp/press/release/…/osa-malaysian-navy
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, “Normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia remains essential to long term stability: UK statement at the UN Security Council,” October 20, 2026. gov.uk/government/speeches/…/kosovo-unsc-statement