White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave the administration at the end of the month to spend more time with her family, President announced Wednesday.
Leavitt, 28, is the youngest person to hold the role. She was a press aide during Trump’s first term and has been one of the most visible advocates of his 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement. Trump did not outline any plans for who might replace her.
Meanwhile, Trump said he after a trip last month in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a 鈥渄ifferent plane鈥� he insisted did not scare him.
He downplayed the extraordinary nature of the subterfuge involved in his flight, which saw him stow away in an airport catering container to sneak onto another plane while Air Force One was sent into the sky, essentially as a decoy.
Here’s the latest:
Pete Hegseth says Colombia president has requested US collaboration in antidrug efforts
The U.S. defense secretary said the recently inaugurated government of requested U.S. collaboration in joint military operations in Colombia to combat 鈥渘arco-terrorism.鈥�
During a meeting of the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition in Panama, Hegseth said Colombia would also join the Shield of the Americas initiative, becoming its 19th member. The initiative emerged from a March summit with Trump and Latin American countries that sought to join forces in fighting drug cartels. Colombia鈥檚 then-President Gustavo Petro was not invited to that meeting.
鈥淭hrough the newly inaugurated president, as our president likes to say, President El Tigre, Colombia has already requested that the Department of War join Colombia in its fight against narco-terrorism, authorizing joint military operations to destroy terrorists and terror networks,鈥� Hegseth said.
The government of de la Espriella, who is known as 鈥淓l Tigre,鈥� or 鈥淭he Tiger,鈥� did not immediately comment. But the conservative leader has previously said his administration would join the U.S. initiative.
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Officials say US forces on track to complete Iraq pullout by Sept. 30
The U.S. military is on track to out of by the end of September, officials said Wednesday, marking the end of a presence that started with the 2003 invasion against Saddam Hussein.
Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind down the much smaller U.S.-led operations against the
U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a presence in the semiautonomous northern Kurdish region. Bases there have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched the on Feb. 28.
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Federal civil rights agency moves to drop subpoena action against Nike in DEI-related investigation
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is dropping the subpoena enforcement action, saying the sportswear giant has complied with requests for information as part of an investigation into its diversity and inclusion policies.
The EEOC filed the motion to dismiss in Missouri federal court Wednesday, seven months after asking the court to to fully comply with the subpoena. In its court filing, the EEOC said that between March and August, Nike provided 鈥渋nformation and documents responsive to the subpoena,鈥� leaving 鈥渘o remaining controversy鈥� for the court to resolve.
An EEOC spokesperson said the agency is 鈥減leased the company complied without a court order after the filing of our subpoena enforcement action,鈥� but declined to provide more details. Nike declined to comment.
Nike is one of the highest-profile companies targeted by EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas鈥� campaign against corporate diversity and inclusion policies, which the Trump administration claims discriminate against white men and others.
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Republicans see Minnesota fraud scandal as a chance to go on offense in a blue state
It has been 20 years since a Republican won a statewide race there. But some in the party think a that has engulfed state government will be their ticket back to relevance.
Their enthusiasm was buoyed by , which saw former sportscaster Michele Tafoya win the and state House speaker Lisa Demuth win the primary for governor. Both women defeated rivals seen by some GOP strategists as too extreme for Minnesota鈥檚 left-of-center electorate.
Republicans are mostly playing defense as they look to hold on to their narrow congressional majorities. President Donald Trump is unpopular, and of the state of the economy and the country鈥檚 direction.
Most of the competitive Senate seats on the ballot this fall are held by Republicans and in states Trump won by healthy margins in 2024, such as Texas and Iowa. Minnesota presents one of the GOP鈥檚 few opportunities to go on offense.
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Law firm with ties to Trump administration declines offer to represent migrant children
A small Texas law firm with ties to the Trump administration declined a $150 million federal contract it was offered to represent migrant children traveling alone to the U.S., authorities said, raising long-term questions about who would represent them.
The administration announced plans last week to to Houston-based Burke Law Group, which has little experience in immigration. The contract offer came as the administration ramps up its mass deportation campaign and after it let working with immigrant children around the country expire at the end of July with no replacement.
Unaccompanied migrant children in federal custody are being temporarily represented by another group, but it is unclear how things will shake out after its contract expires in December. A Wednesday statement from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the contracts, offered no insight into why Burke declined the offer.
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US critical of Israeli defense minister鈥檚 comments on keeping troops in southern Lebanon
The Trump administration says Israel Katz鈥檚 comments that Israel will not withdraw from certain areas are inconsistent with a framework deal agreed to by Israel and Lebanon.
A State Department official reaffirmed Wednesday that the U.S. 鈥渆xpects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the framework they agreed to,鈥� which does not include a long-term or permanent Israeli presence in the south.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said a permanent Israeli 鈥渕ilitary presence in South Lebanon is not consistent with the commitments made in the framework or the long-term peace and security of both states.鈥�
Earlier Wednesday Katz said Israel would not withdraw from certain of its current positions: 鈥淯nder no circumstances do we retreat.鈥�
鈥� Matthew Lee
2 people died in military helicopter crash near Fort Hood, officials say
An Army Apache helicopter crashed in a central Texas field on Wednesday, killing both people on board and sparking a wildfire that forced several homes to be evacuated, officials said.
Officials from nearby Fort Hood announced that the AH-64 Apache helicopter had crashed. Cliff Coleman, spokesperson for the Bell County Sheriff鈥檚 office confirmed that both occupants died.
No cause of the crash was immediately announced. Fort Hood鈥檚 criminal investigation division was leading the investigation, Coleman said.
The helicopter did not hit any homes or other structures when it crashed, Coleman said.
鈥淥ur immediate priority is securing the site and supporting the initial response efforts,鈥� said Brig. Gen. Ethan Diven, acting commanding general. 鈥淥ur thoughts are with the crew and their families as we await further information.鈥�
Interior Department holds third oil lease sale in Gulf of Mexico
The Trump administration conducted another lease sale Wednesday for oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Sixteen companies submitted 69 bids totaling nearly $100 million.
The sale was the third in the past year under Trump鈥檚 big tax and spending law adopted by congressional Republicans.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the sale underscores the administration鈥檚 commitment to 鈥渁n active offshore energy strategy鈥� and continues a tradition of offshore drilling helping to power transportation, manufacturing and small businesses.
An oil industry lobbying group hailed the sale as a 鈥渧ote of confidence in American energy.鈥�
Environmental groups denounced it as a giveaway to the oil and gas industry, which is already pulling in windfall profits due to the war in Iran.
US strikes targeting Houthis killed 153 civilians in Yemen last year, Pentagon review says
A Pentagon review has found that U.S. airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last year killed more than 150 civilians.
The unclassified assessment was sent to Congress as part of an annual report on civilian casualties and was obtained by The Associated Press.
The Pentagon review focused on three airstrikes in April 2025 that were launched during the U.S. campaign against the Houthis. The militants were attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea as well as Israel. A total of 153 civilians were killed and 243 were injured.
The report comes as concerns rise over civilian casualties by military campaigns under the Trump administration, including a strike on an Iranian primary school in the opening days of this year鈥檚 war that killed up to 168 people.
Hegseth pushes Latin American nations to leave ICC
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is urging Latin American countries not to recognize the International Criminal Court as the U.S. military targets alleged drug traffickers in the region.
Speaking at a gathering in Panama of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, Hegseth argued that those efforts 鈥渁re 100% lawful under the laws of armed conflict.鈥� He faces questions at home about the legality of carrying out deadly strikes on small boats accused of trafficking drugs.
It鈥檚 not clear from Hegseth鈥檚 remarks what, if anything, the ICC has done to stymie U.S. operations in the region. He encouraged the nearly 20 countries assembled 鈥渢o leave the ICC and reject their attempts to rob your governments and your courts of your sovereignty.鈥�
The Trump administration is pushing a campaign to 鈥渄ismantle鈥� the world tribunal in retaliation for warrants the court has issued for top Israeli officials over the war in Gaza and investigations into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.
Leavitt calls the decision to depart the White House 鈥榖ittersweet鈥�
Leavitt recently returned to work after taking a short leave following the birth in May of her second child, Viviana.
She also has a 2-year-old son.
鈥淭he truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary 鈥� and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,鈥� Leavitt said in a social media post.
Leavitt leaving job as White House press secretary
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold the role, will leave the administration at the end of the month, Trump announced Wednesday.
Leavitt, who served Trump as a press aide during his first term in the White House, has been one of the most visible advocates of Trump鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement. The Republican president described her as one of his 鈥渕ost trusted aides鈥� in a social media post announcing her departure.
He said Leavitt 鈥渨ill be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect! Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.鈥�
Lawsuit seeks to stop Trump from making money off early access to his posts on US policy
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court alleges that Trump鈥檚 deal with his media company to post first on his Truth Social platform violates the Constitution.
The suit brought by two media groups comes after Truth Social started charging Wall Street firms as much as $100,000 a month for a new service allowing early access to the president鈥檚 posts so they can trade off them.
Truth Social says the lawsuit is an attempt by left wing activists to silence the president.
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The duel over the National Guard in DC has entered its second year
The latest volley was a letter coming from the Justice Department to the district council challenging their view that the use of the military is unnecessary because crime was already falling.
That letter counters letters the council sent last month to governors who have troops in town supporting Trump鈥檚 2025 surge. The June letter asked governors to bring their people home, citing $3 million a day costs and the lack of a crime emergency.
Wednesday鈥檚 missive disputed that: 鈥淒.C. is a much safer place no matter what you say.鈥�
The president activated the guard and pulled in federal law enforcement with a crime emergency declaration on Aug. 11, 2025. The deployment was recently extended until January 2029 and will cost an estimated $1.4 billion.
Trump-supporting pastor warns immigration enforcement risks Latino vote
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is warning Republicans that deporting vulnerable people who don鈥檛 have a criminal record could lose them the in the midterm elections.
Rodriguez is a conservative pastor from California and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
In an op-ed for the Christian Post on Wednesday, he said that not everyone the administration is is a criminal. Many, he said, are 鈥渃onstruction workers, healthcare professionals and Sunday school teachers who have been rooted in this country for 20 years or more.鈥�
鈥淭his does not mean open borders,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t means the mechanisms of enforcement must be proportional, just, and morally defensible.鈥�
Rodriguez said there is 鈥渟till time to course correct.鈥�
鈥淲hen indiscriminate enforcement becomes the story, it hands the moral high ground to the progressive Left and confirms their most damaging narrative about the Right.鈥�
Forget left vs. center
Primary results in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Connecticut have reiterated that Democratic voters are hungry for change, even as they remain divided over the party鈥檚 ideological future.
Progressives secured a major victory in Minnesota but fell short in Wisconsin, while a longtime Connecticut congressman was ousted by a younger challenger.
The results followed similar outcomes this year in places such as Michigan that showed an appetite for turnover that cuts across the party鈥檚 ideological divisions.
They also highlighted the growing influence of younger voters, who have been particularly drawn to progressive candidates.
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US resumes leadership role in anti-abortion group abandoned during Biden administration
The Trump administration says it will resume a leadership role in an international bloc opposed to abortion that had been established in Trump鈥檚 first term but then abandoned by President Joe Biden.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday the U.S. would serve as the 鈥渟ecretariat鈥� for the Geneva Consensus Declaration. The Geneva consensus was created in 2020 with great fanfare from then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 鈥渢o secure meaningful health and development gains for women; to protect life at all stages; to defend the family as the fundamental unit of society.鈥�
Critics, however, saw it as a way for the U.S. to further push Trump administration goals to limit family planning initiatives and ban abortion.
Participation in Geneva Consensus was one of the first Trump administration actions rescinded by Biden when he took office in early 2021.
Wisconsin gubernatorial primary winner David Crowley ties opponent to Trump
The winner of Wisconsin鈥檚 Democratic primary race for governor immediately tied his Republican opponent to President Trump in his first public comments since his victory.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley told supporters Wednesday he intends to build a broad coalition to defeat Republican Tom Tiffany, who鈥檚 voted 100% in line with Trump.
鈥淭he biggest difference between me and the congressman is I鈥檓 loyal to the people of Wisconsin. I鈥檓 not loyal to MAGA,鈥� Crowley said referring to Trump鈥檚 Make America Great Again movement.
Tiffany began the general election campaign with a message connecting Crowley to Francesca Hong, a the democratic socialist Crowley narrowly defeated.
鈥淚鈥檝e said all along that there鈥檚 not a dime鈥檚 worth of difference between these Democrat candidates,鈥� Tiffany said in a statement.
Sen. Tim Scott says he voted for Sen. Darline Graham and endorses her in runoff
Scott, who also serves as chair of the chamber鈥檚 political arm, said on social media Wednesday morning that he鈥檇 voted for Darline Graham in Tuesday鈥檚 special Republican Senate primary.
Graham has been serving in an interim role since her brother Sen. Lindsey Graham鈥檚 death last month. Scott called his fellow South Carolinian 鈥渁 conservative stalwart鈥� who 鈥渞epresents our beloved state with class, humility, and dignity.鈥�
Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman will go head to head in an Aug. 25 GOP runoff. The winner of that contest faces Democrat Annie Andrews in November.
Rubio sets up task force to combat 鈥榖irth tourism鈥� as Trump fights birthright citizenship
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the creation of a State Department task force to combat 鈥渂irth tourism,鈥� a Trump administration phrase for foreign women coming to the United States with the intention of giving birth to a child on U.S. soil in order to secure their child鈥檚 American citizenship.
Trump and his administration have fought unsuccessfully in courts to end 鈥渂irthright citizenship,鈥� which gives U.S. citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. Despite those legal setbacks, Trump has continued the fight to end the practice.
In a social media post Wednesday, Rubio said the new task force would 鈥渞eview the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation鈥檚 laws.鈥�
He said that since the task force was created last month, it had already taken action to revoke the visas of more than 600 people suspected of being involved in birth tourism schemes.
Many details about what happened remain unknown
Presidents have regularly tested the confines of their office, pushing their security advisers to visit war zones as a show of American presence and their own leadership. Usually, this happens in the form of trips that aren鈥檛 announced until the president is deemed to be out of harm鈥檚 way.
What鈥檚 different this time is that Trump was covertly separated from the rest of his travelers 鈥� including the press pool meant to provide independent coverage of the president 鈥� and, instead of informing the public about what occurred once the risk had passed, the White House still hasn鈥檛 fully revealed what took place.
Presidents often take secret trips 鈥� but not like this
Commanders in chief have sometimes kept covert for security reasons, with schedules and logistics kept classified until after for safety reasons. But the fact that Trump鈥檚 whereabouts were concealed at the time and for weeks afterward is believed to be unprecedented.
鈥淲e have absolutely seen the president fly on unmarked or decoy planes before, into Iraq, Afghanistan, other war-zone-like places,鈥� said Garrett M. Graff, author of 鈥淩aven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government鈥檚 Secret Plan to Save Itself 鈥� While the Rest of Us Die.鈥�
鈥淏ut this was an ongoing secret that I don鈥檛 think we鈥檝e ever seen before.鈥�
After hiding in the catering vehicle and being moved to the other plane, Trump stopped in Britain, sneaked back aboard the presidential plane undetected, and even later scoffed when asked about potential danger.
鈥淚f I go, you go. Right?鈥� he told reporters then 鈥� gliding past the fact that if the plane had been shot down, the president wouldn鈥檛 have been aboard.
Inflation paused, but higher costs remain an issue for Americans
U.S. inflation slowed last month and a measure of underlying price pressures also cooled, suggesting from the Iran war are only having a limited impact on broader costs in the economy.
Consumer prices rose 3.4% in July from a year ago, down slightly from 3.5% in June, the Labor Department said Wednesday. But inflation is still higher than before the Iran war began in February, when it was 2.4%. On a monthly basis, prices rose just 0.1% from June to July.
Inflation has been pushed higher by a series of shocks to the economy, including President Trump鈥檚 imposed last spring, higher gas prices stemming from the Iran war, and a surge in investment in that has boosted computer chip prices. The key question for the inflation-fighters at the Fed 鈥� not to mention for consumers struggling with high gas and grocery prices 鈥� is how quickly those one-time effects will fade.
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Trump鈥檚 vaccine order hands some MAHA voters a win. It also gives Democrats an attack line
President Trump pivoted the nation鈥檚 attention back to vaccines this week with that aims to scale back the childhood immunization schedule and space out shots into separate visits.
After acting to , the Trump administration had recently largely stepped back from additional changes to focus on less controversial subjects, raising questions over the political impetus behind and implications of the Republican president鈥檚 renewed focus on vaccines.
For well over a decade, Trump has expressed his view 鈥� against medical groups鈥� guidance 鈥� that childhood vaccines should be administered in smaller doses over a long period of time. The executive order sought to bear out .
While the move could endear Trump to some 鈥淢ake America Healthy Again鈥� voters who want more flexibility on immunizations, it鈥檚 also already attracting attacks designed to hurt Trump鈥檚 aligned candidates in November鈥檚 midterm elections.
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