October 15, 2026

The American Conservative Morning Briefing · Oct 15, 2026 · 4m

Good morning! Today is Thursday, October 15th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Trump's surprise diesel deal with Putin has shattered trust with Kiev, prompting Zelensky to call the arrangement dishonest and Trump to suggest Ukraine needs a new president, with Ted Snider arguing the real win for Moscow is decoupling U.S.–Russia diplomacy from the war itself. U.S. inflation climbed to 3.7 percent in September as Middle East conflict drove energy prices higher, even as Trump hinted at expanded action against Iran and the Saudi–Houthi war escalated with strikes on…