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Karoline Leavitt gave her final interview as White House press secretary Thursday, closing out nearly 20 months as President Trump's chief spokesperson. She revealed she's been privately advising Trump on who should replace her, though no name has been announced. Stephen Miller, Scott Jennings and Anna Kelly have all been floated, and the briefing room may run on rotating officials in the interim.
ICE officer Christian Castro left a Brownsville, Texas jail Thursday after 90 days in custody, once a federal judge denied Minnesota's emergency bid to keep him locked up. Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled the lawsuit was premature because Governor Greg Abbott has neither granted nor denied the rendition warrant. Minnesota charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault over a January shooting during an immigration operation.
Trump signed an executive order Thursday officially renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America," effective immediately, as US-Canada trade talks collapsed. Fifty percent tariffs hit roughly 20 billion dollars of Canadian goods, with auto, truck and steel duties queued for January 1, 2027. Prime Minister Mark Carney fired back that it's "Lake Ontario — then, now and always," while Canada rolled out dollar-for-dollar retaliation on more than 700 US products.
The Fed's preferred PCE gauge held at 3.7 percent year over year in July, keeping affordability at the center of the midterm conversation. Diesel and energy costs driven by the Iran conflict are now raising construction costs, complicating the administration's housing affordability push. There is a bright spot: S&P Global reported US business activity accelerating in August to its fastest pace in over four years.
Europe's oldest reigning monarch died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital, having been hospitalized with a blood infection on August 17. Harald had been Norway's head of state since 1991. His 53-year-old son, Crown Prince Haakon, succeeds him as King Haakon VIII, with Crown Princess Mette-Marit becoming queen consort.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned Thursday that Moscow could hit UK military targets inside and outside Ukraine, saying Britain is "one step away" from legal complicity and faces "catastrophic consequences." The threat follows London's pledge to share classified Storm Shadow missile technology so Kyiv can build its own long-range cruise missiles. Britain's Ministry of Defence said it stands "shoulder to shoulder" with Ukraine and that Russia should have no doubt about its resolve.
The conflict passed the half-year mark with the Strait of Hormuz at the center of negotiations, as Iran and Oman floated a reopening framework that Tehran says would bar US warships. The White House has declined to say whether it would accept any such restriction. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has launched what he calls an "economic onslaught," blacklisting nearly 60 people, businesses and vessels tied to illicit Iranian trade.
The FDA approved daraxonrasib from California-based Revolution Medicines, a once-daily tablet targeting multiple forms of the RAS protein that drives tumor growth. In company trials, the drug nearly doubled survival compared with chemotherapy. Pancreatic cancer has long been among the hardest tumors to treat, making a RAS inhibitor a genuine milestone.
An FDA-approved procedure uses MRI guidance to aim focused ultrasound at precise brain targets, halting severe tremors in minutes with no incision. Dr. Bhavya Shah of UT Southwestern demonstrated the technique on patient Bud Leavell, who went from violent shaking to steady hands. It's an outpatient alternative to implanted deep-brain stimulation hardware.
Callaway severed ties with Good Good Golf effective immediately after a promo showing co-founder Garrett Clark shoving a woman to the ground over a driver. Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy and PGA Tour Superstore pulled the brand's merchandise, a TV show was postponed, and the PGA Tour's Good Good Championship in Austin was renamed. Callaway later admitted it had approved the ad before it went live.
