Trump Administration Announces Sanctions on Russia's Two Biggest Oil Companies

Summary

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Fox News Hourly Update – October 22, 2025

Episode Theme:
This episode covers major breaking news with a particular focus on the Trump administration’s announcement of significant new sanctions targeting Russia’s two largest oil companies. Other notable topics include updates on U.S.-China relations, a university civil rights settlement, a high-profile child abandonment arrest in New York City, medical research linking COVID vaccines to cancer patient outcomes, increasing health insurance costs, and weather warnings affecting the Caribbean.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Sanctions on Russia’s Oil Industry

• Announcement & Scope
  • [00:02] Lisa Licera introduces Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen’s announcement of new U.S. sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil companies.
  • [00:14] Larry Kudlow emphasizes the magnitude:

    "Will be one of the largest sanctions."
    – Larry Kudlow, 00:14

  • [00:17] Fox News Anchor further specifies:

    "That we have done against the Russian Federation."
    – Fox News Anchor, 00:17

• Calls for Ceasefire & International Stance
  • Bessen, speaking from the White House, calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
  • President Trump meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, aligning international support for sanctions.

2. U.S. Support for Ukraine: Tomahawk Missile Policy

• [00:33] President Donald Trump clarifies why the U.S. will not supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles:

  "The problem with the Tomahawk that a lot of people don't know, it'll take a minimum of six months, usually a year, to learn how to use them. They're highly complex. So the only way a Tomahawk is going to be shot is if we shot it and we're not going to do that." – President Donald Trump, 00:33

• Trump also mentions cancellation of his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating:

  "...it didn't feel right to have a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, so he canceled it."
  – Lisa Licera paraphrasing President Trump, 00:46

3. U.S.-China Relations

• President Trump prepares for a major meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on an upcoming trip to South Korea, aiming to address ongoing trade tensions.

4. University of Virginia & DOJ Civil Rights Settlement

• [01:06] Larry Kudlow details the settlement:

  "The University of Virginia and DOJ have agreed to a deal that justice says will protect UVA students, faculty and employees from violations of federal civil rights laws. It's part of President Trump's push to end DEI practices."
  – Larry Kudlow, 01:06

• The settlement requires UVA to discontinue "unlawful racial discrimination" in admissions and hiring to maintain federal funding. Comparisons are drawn to settlements at Columbia University.

  "And in return, the department will close its investigations into UVA." – Larry Kudlow, 01:24

5. Government Shutdown Continues

• [01:46] The Senate fails for the 12th time to reach a deal to end the government shutdown.

6. NYC Child Abandonment Arrest

• [02:29] Lisa Licera and [02:34] Tanya J. Powers report on a 30-year-old woman arrested for abandoning her newborn baby in a NYC subway:

  "She was recorded on a busy sidewalk in a two second video clip that showed her carrying something that appears to be wrapped in a bundle and held as if it were a baby. The baby girl was found with her umbilical cord still attached."
  – Tanya J. Powers, 02:34

• NY Safe Haven Law context included: parents can drop off babies at safe locations without prosecution.

7. Medical Research: COVID Vaccines’ Unexpected Benefits for Cancer Patients

• [03:13] New research in Nature suggests that advanced lung or skin cancer patients who received Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccines within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived longer.
• The research team is preparing a more rigorous follow-up study.

8. Rising Health Insurance Costs

• [03:37] The KFF survey shows average employer-based family plans increased to nearly $27,000/month, with growing employee cost shares, partly due to expensive prescription and weight loss drugs.

  "Employers are picking up about three quarters of that, with employees contributing nearly $600 a month."
  – KFF Chief Executive, 03:37

9. Caribbean Weather Warning

• [04:08] Chris Foster reports on Tropical Storm Melissa, which is causing heavy rainfall and potential flooding in Haiti and the Dominican Republic; residents are encouraged to seek higher ground.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sanctions Magnitude:

  "Will be one of the largest sanctions."
  – Larry Kudlow, 00:14

• On Tomahawk Missiles for Ukraine:

  "They're highly complex. So the only way a Tomahawk is going to be shot is if we shot it and we're not going to do that." – President Donald Trump, 00:33

• DEI Policy Crackdown:

  "It's part of President Trump's push to end DEI practices. And without that deal, UVA could have lost federal funding." – Larry Kudlow, 01:12

• Child Abandonment Reporting:

  "She was recorded on a busy sidewalk...carrying something that appears to be wrapped in a bundle and held as if it were a baby. The baby girl was found with her umbilical cord still attached." – Tanya J. Powers, 02:34

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Important Timestamps

• 00:02 – Sanctions on Russian Oil Companies Announced
• 00:33 – President Trump on Ukraine and Tomahawk Missiles
• 01:06 – UVA and DOJ Civil Rights Settlement Explained
• 01:46 – Update on Government Shutdown
• 02:29 – Arrest in NYC Baby Abandonment Case
• 03:13 – COVID Vaccine Reported Benefits for Cancer Patients
• 03:37 – Family Health Insurance Costs Rising
• 04:08 – Tropical Storm Flooding Warning in the Caribbean

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This Fox News Hourly Update episode provides a fast-paced overview of several high-impact news stories with key direct quotes, background context, and succinct reporting that reflects the network’s straightforward style.

Transcript

[Lisa Licera]

New crackdowns on Russia. I'm Lisa Licera, FOX News. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen announcing the new sanctions against Russia's two biggest oil companies, telling Larry Kudlow on FOX Business this.

[Larry Kudlow]

Will be one of the largest sanctions.

[Fox News Anchor]

That we have done against the Russian Federation.

[Lisa Licera]

Bessen calling for an immediate cease fire at the White House. President Trump meeting this hour with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The president saying the time is right for the new round of sanctions and again saying Ukraine will not have access to long range Tomahawk missiles from the.

[President Donald Trump]

U.S. the problem with the Tomahawk that a lot of people don't know, it'll take a minimum of six months, usually a year, to learn how to use them. They're highly complex. So the only way a Tomahawk is going to be shot is if we shot it and we're not going to do that.

[Lisa Licera]

And the president saying it didn't feel right to have a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, so he canceled it. On the trade war with China, the president said he has a long meeting scheduled with President Xi Jinping during his upcoming trip to South Korea. The Justice Department and the University of Virginia have reached an agreement that will end, you put an end to investigations in the university.

[Larry Kudlow]

The University of Virginia and DOJ have agreed to a deal that justice says will protect UVA students, faculty and employees from violations of federal civil rights laws. It's part of President Trump's push to end DEI practices. And without that deal, UVA could have lost federal funding. Other schools like Columbia have had to pay financial settlements to resolve their cases with the feds. And but under this deal, UVA has to agree to not engage in what the DOJ calls unlawful racial discrimination in its admissions and hiring practices. And in return, the department will close its investigations into UVA.

[Lisa Licera]

Fox is Jill NATO and the Senate fails for the 12th time to end the government shutdown. America's listening to Fox News.

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[Lisa Licera]

The woman who abandoned her baby at a New York City subway station is under arrest.

[Tanya J. Powers]

The 30 year old woman is charged with abandoning and endangering a child. She was recorded on a busy sidewalk in a two second video clip that showed her carrying something that appears to be wrapped in a bundle and held as if it were a baby. The baby girl was found with her umbilical cord still attached. On Monday, NYPD officers responded to a call of a baby wrapped in a blanket and left in a passageway at the Penn Station subway stop during morning rush. She was taken to a hospital and is reportedly stable. New York's Safe Haven law allows a parent to relinquish a newborn at a hospital or a staffed police or fire station without fear of being prosecuted in New York City. Tanya J. Powers, Fox News the most widely used.

[Lisa Licera]

Covid vaccines may have a surprise benefit for some cancer patients. Research reported in the journal Nature finds people with advanced lung or skin cancer lived longer if they received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for Covid within 100 days of starting a type of immunotherapy. The research team now preparing a more rigorous study. Family health insurance plans are getting more expensive for families and employers.

[KFF Chief Executive]

The average employer based family health insurance plan cost nearly $27,000 this year, up 6% from last year, according to a survey conducted by the health research group kff. Employers are picking up about three quarters of that, with employees contributing nearly $600 a month. KFF's chief executive says he sees a wave of employees potentially being made to share more of the costs as they go up. Employers cite the biggest factors in rising costs as prescription drug coverage for some covering the use of GLP1, weight loss drugs, long term illness rates and more use of medical services.

[Lisa Licera]

Fox's Chris Foster Tropical storm Melissa has dumped heavy rain on parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with forecasters warning of a significant flood risk in the northern Caribbean. Officials are warning people in flood prone areas to seek higher ground. I'm Lisa Licera. This is FOX News.

[Fox News Anchor]

It will tame country. Watch it live at noon Eastern Monday through [e-mail] or on the Fox News YouTube channel. And don't miss the show. Listen and follow the podcast five days a week at foxnewspodcasts.com or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.