Rubbish Check
Guardian US · 18 September 2026
source“Trump signs bill imposing sanctions on Russia and giving him more power to levy tariffs”
R2/ 10
Lightly altered
Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish
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In short
Rubbish Talk rates the Guardian's headline that Trump "signed a bill imposing sanctions on Russia and giving him more power to levy tariffs" a 2/10 because the claim matches the signed legislation almost exactly, with the only gap being the headline's omission of Iran from a bill formally covering both countries.
The Verdict
Lightly altered. The headline is factually accurate on both counts it makes, the bill does sanction Russia and does hand Trump discretionary tariff authority, and the article body backs this with specifics on vote counts, tariff caps and bipartisan objections. The sole ding is that the law is officially the "Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act," yet Iran vanishes from both headline and body; that's an industry-wide shorthand, not a Guardian-specific spin, so it costs one point rather than several.
What actually happened
Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law on 18 September, two days after it cleared the House 262-159. The law sanctions Russian officials, banks and the "shadow tanker" fleet used to evade existing energy export restrictions, and grants Trump discretion over tariffs, waivers and enforcement.
Key facts
- House passage: 262-159 on 16 September 2026, with 203 Republicans, 58 Democrats and one independent voting yes, per RFE/RL's vote breakdown.
- Senate had already passed it 86-11 the previous month, per The National.
- The law lets Trump impose tariffs of up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, per CBS News.
- Named for the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July 2026.
- Democrats criticized the bill's breadth, arguing it hands Trump excessive tariff discretion he has already exercised despite a Supreme Court ruling on IEEPA authority, per the article itself.
What to watch for
Watch whether Trump actually uses the 100% tariff threat against major buyers like China or India, or leaves it unused as leverage, since the bill's waiver provisions give him full discretion not to act. Also watch whether "Iran" resurfaces in coverage once specific Iran-related sanctions are enforced under the same law.
About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.
