#1Karoline Leavitt to Exit White House Press Secretary Role
The youngest White House press secretary in history, Karoline Leavitt, 28, is stepping down at the end of August to spend more time with her two young children after returning from maternity leave. President Trump announced she will transition to an outside adviser role focused on helping Republicans in the midterms. Alina Habba is among the names circulating as a potential replacement, but no successor has been named. Source: Daily Caller — URL
#2White House Exposes China's $26 Billion Tariff Transshipment Scam
A new White House report identifies over 40 countries posing elevated risk of tariff transshipment — routing Chinese-made goods through third nations to evade American duties — with the scheme estimated to cost U.S. taxpayers around $26 billion. In response, the Trump administration announced new tariffs on 60 economies, including Canada, citing forced labor practices and transshipment abuse. The report names China as the primary architect of the scheme. Source: Fox News — URL
#3Federal Judge Strikes Down 92-Year-Old Suppressor Registration Law
A federal district court judge in Texas ruled that the 1934 National Firearms Act's suppressor registration requirements exceed Congress's constitutional authority — after the One Big Beautiful Bill zeroed out the NFA's transfer taxes earlier this year. The Trump DOJ declined to appeal, and just after midnight on August 13, the first lawful unregistered suppressor transfer since 1934 took place. Gun rights groups are celebrating what they call a once-in-a-generation Second Amendment victory. Source: The Federalist — URL
#4US Economy Grew Just 1.5% in Q2; Fed Faces Rate-Hike Quandary
GDP expanded at a 1.5% annualized rate in the second quarter of 2026, slowing from 2.1% in Q1, as tariff uncertainty dampens business investment. Inflation pulled back to 3.4% in July, softening expectations for a September rate hike; market-implied odds of a pause now exceed 65%. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh faces mounting pressure from both directions — a slowing economy and still-elevated prices. Source: Washington Examiner — URL
Top World Stories
#5Iran Attacks UAE Oil Tankers in Strait of Hormuz; Trump Claims Control
Iran launched what the United Arab Emirates called "unprovoked attacks" against two Abu Dhabi National Oil Company vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, marking the latest escalation in a waterway that has been largely closed since late July. President Trump declared the U.S. is in "total control" of the strait; Tehran flatly rejected that claim and said the passage remains blocked until its conditions are met. Treasury Secretary Bessent says unprecedented new economic measures targeting Iran are coming as early as next week. Source: Fox News — URL
#6Colombia Struck by 7.4-Magnitude Earthquake, Compounding Venezuela's Catastrophe
Western Colombia was devastated Monday by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that collapsed buildings on camera and triggered a major humanitarian emergency. The disaster compounds the toll in neighboring Venezuela, where back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 quakes on June 24 killed at least 6,300 people. Rescue operations are ongoing across both countries with thousands displaced and infrastructure severely damaged. Source: Breitbart — URL
#7Ambassador Huckabee Publicly Slams Extremist Israeli Settlers Over West Bank Incident
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sharply condemned Israeli settler violence after a fringe group besieged a Palestinian American's home near Nablus in the West Bank. The rebuke from a Trump-aligned diplomat was notably pointed, drawing a hard line between Israeli government policy and what Huckabee called an extreme group operating outside acceptable norms. The incident underscores ongoing tensions in the West Bank amid Israel's continued security operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Source: Fox News — URL
Science & Technology
#8House Opens Probe Into Mysterious Disappearances of 11 Scientists With Classified Research Ties
The House Oversight Committee has launched a formal investigation into 11 scientists and aerospace researchers who have died or vanished under mysterious circumstances since 2022, many with ties to classified programs. The probe was triggered by the February disappearance of retired Air Force Gen. William Neil McCasland — known as the "UFO General" — who walked out of his Albuquerque home and left his phone and eyeglasses behind. Congressional letters have gone to the FBI, NASA, and the Departments of Energy and Defense. Source: Fox News — URL
#9China Deploys Science Team to Iran to Map Rare Earth Deposits Amid U.S. Conflict
China's National Natural Science Foundation announced a collaboration with Tehran to explore and process rare earth minerals in Iran's central region, with Beijing largely funding the effort. Iran is believed to hold significant reserves but lacks the technology to confirm or exploit them — a strategic gap China appears eager to fill. The partnership deepens China-Iran alignment at a moment when Iran is under intense U.S. military and economic pressure. Source: Breitbart — URL
Wildcard
#10Latin Music Royalty Unites for Massive Earthquake Relief Concert This Sunday
Marc Anthony, Luis Fonsi, Chayanne, Feid, Ricardo Montaner, Olga Tañon, and dozens more Latin stars will perform at a free livestreamed benefit concert from Miami this Sunday for earthquake victims in Venezuela and Colombia. The event — "Unidos por Los Nuestros" (United for Our Own) — was expanded Monday after Colombia's 7.4-magnitude quake struck, with proceeds earmarked for rebuilding homes, schools, and mental health support. Marc Anthony's Maestro Cares Foundation is administering the funds alongside the Univision Foundation. Source: Breitbart — URL
