President Donald Trump said Saturday he is “ready to do major Sanctions on Russia” once all NATO countries have started “to do the same thing” and pause their purchases of oil from Moscow.

He also urged NATO countries to impose “50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA,” which he said should be withdrawn after the Russia-Ukraine war has concluded.

“China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, which he said was the text of a letter sent to all NATO nations and “the world.”

Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, but has so far held off from doing so.

Earlier this month, the president said he was prepared to move towards a second phase of sanctioning Russia, but has not yet imposed the levies.

Part of Trump’s reluctance to impose the strict economic punishments may be in part because he hopes he can broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, analysts previously told CNBC.

“The second reason … is there is a sense that if Russia is defeated … then it has no choice but to go even further all-in with China, and that potentially then would strengthen China’s position,” Chris Weafer, the chief executive of Moscow-based Macro-Advisory, told CNBC earlier this month.

Trump’s Saturday post underscores that he is shifting his focus to NATO nations to put pressure on Russia to end its war.

“As you know, NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking!” Trump wrote in the post.

“It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia,” he continued.

Hungary and Slovakia have continued to buy Russian fossil fuels, drawing criticism from Trump officials.

“We want to displace all Russian gas. President Trump, America, and all the nations of the EU, we want to end the Russian-Ukraine war,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said Friday.

“Sometimes it’s best to be lucky” sums up last week’s best bets from my College Football Projection Model. The model churned out a winning week, but the way that two of the winners got home was impressive.

Louisville and Syracuse, both favorites, somehow managed to cover by the hook (the final half-point of a spread) in games that I wasn’t even sure they were going to win. So yeah, it pays to be lucky. If there is a lesson, though, it’s that both games won by the hook, but if you didn’t bet them at the number that I bet during publish, you either pushed or lost. Even my worst price to bet would have gone 1-0-1 but the closing line would have gone 0-1-1. I say it every week, but getting the best of the number is vital to long-term success.

Last week’s record: 3-2, +0.80 units
Season record: 5-4, +0.60 units, 6.0% ROI

Five bets to kick off Week 3, and at least three that are a half-point off from getting onto the card, so stay tuned there. Hopefully we can have a big week, but I’ll settle for a modest winning one like last week. As always, shop around for the best price and good luck!

College football Week 3 best bets

Colorado +4.5 (-110) at Houston

I don’t like this bet one bit, but the numbers are what they are. I think Houston is improved and Colorado is trending down, but this is a bit too much for my taste. This seems like a buy-low spot on Colorado and a sell-high spot on Houston. My numbers actually have this game closer to a pick ’em, so getting 4.5 is a must-buy.

Worst price to bet: Colorado +4 (-110)

Arkansas at Ole Miss under 61.5 (-110)

Well, both of these teams like to play at a lightning pace and have scored 50-plus points in three of the four games they’ve played so far this season. Arkansas hasn’t played anybody good yet, and Ole Miss played Kentucky in their only game against solid competition. The total points in that game ended up being 53. I’m not saying we will see this game go into the low 50s, but I’m not as scared of the pace if I believe you’re going to struggle to find consistent offense down to down.

Worst price to bet: Under 61 (-110)

South Alabama at Auburn under 55.5 (-115)

Maybe I’m overrating the Auburn defense, but I think South Alabama is going to have loads of problems in this matchup. I also have an edge on Auburn against the spread here, but don’t really care to get involved in such a big spread. Similarly to the game above, South Alabama will want to play at a fast pace, but it doesn’t matter too much when you’re not able to move the ball. My only worry here is Auburn scoring a ton, but with two consecutive ranked road games on deck to precede a stretch of four ranked opponents in five weeks, I think they’ll want to get in and out with a clean bill of health.

Worst price to bet: Under 54.5 (-110)

Western Michigan at Illinois over 50.5 (-110)

The pace won’t be anything to get excited about here, but I think Western Michigan will play faster than expected. Last week against North Texas, the Broncos played incredibly slowly, but they were in the lead for the majority of the game. They’ll likely be trailing in this matchup, and their pace will likely match closer to their game against Michigan State. They’ll still need to find a way to move the ball, but my number on this total is in the mid-50s.

Worst price to bet: Over 51 (-110)

Duke at Tulane under 54.5 (-105)

BetMGM is giving us the best price in the market by a considerable margin here, so I’ll gladly scoop this up. Tulane is good, but I think the Duke defense will have a talent advantage to slow them down and keep this a lower-scoring game. Sure, some will say Duke quarterback Darian Mensah will want to put up a big game against his former team, but I’m not buying into that narrative. Let’s keep the fireworks to a minimum here, please.

Worst price to bet: Under 52.5 (-110)

New bets added Friday

South Carolina -3 (-110) vs. Vanderbilt

Worst price to bet: South Carolina -3 (-115)

(Photo of Darian Mensah: Lance King / Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook referred to a condominium she purchased in June 2021 as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud.

President Donald Trump has sought to fire Cook “for cause,” relying on allegations that Cook claimed both the condo and another property as her primary residence simultaneously, as he looks to reshape the central bank to orchestrate a steep cut to interest rates. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.”

Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing, the first time a president has sought to remove a member of the seven-person board of governors. Cook secured an injunction Tuesday that allows her to remain as a Fed governor.

The administration has appealed the ruling and asked for an emergency ruling by Monday, just before the Fed is set to meet and decide whether to reduce its key interest rate. Most economists expect they will cut the rate by a quarter point.

Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has accused Cook of signing separate documents in which she allegedly said that both the Atlanta property and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, also purchased in June 2021, were both “primary residences.” Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, which has opened an investigation.

Claiming a home as a “primary residence” can result in better down payment and mortgage terms than if one of the homes is classified as a vacation home.

The descriptions of Cook’s properties were first reported by Reuters.

Fulton County tax records show Cook has never claimed a homestead exemption on the condo, which allows someone who uses a property as their primary residence to reduce their property taxes, since buying it in 2021.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.