Karoline Leavitt has announced that she will be stepping down from her position as White House press secretary.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her position at the end of August.

Leavitt, the youngest White House press secretary ever, gave birth in May to a girl, her second child.

Leavitt is departing her role to spend more time with family after giving birth to a second child, according to Trump.

Once presented as a diplomatic gift, White Rabbit milk candies, an iconic Chinese brand steeped in childhood nostalgia, have become a social media sensation among Western consumers.

The marketing changes come amid an investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission into the company's promotional practices.

The international community condemns Japan's 2026 Defense White Paper as it is "reinvasion-minded," the official Korean Central News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday, citing a commentary by an international security analyst.

White House puts new tariff on China's solar supply chain

A group of House Democrats is calling on leaders of Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI companies to testify in Congress about recent hacking incidents.

Trump has named White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf as White House counsel, starting from September 1.

Rep

The US Senate passed a sweeping sanctions bill targeting Russia's energy sector by a vote of 86-11, and sent the legislation to the House of Representatives for consideration.

A federal appeals court has ordered President Donald Trumps administration to halt construction on a ballroom project.

The two-judge majority underscored that the president needed congressional authority to move forward with his plans.

A measure to impose new sanctions on Russian oil purchasers easily cleared the Senate and heads to the House.

Anti-Muslim lawmaker Andy Ogles loses Republican primary Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 08/07/2026 - 16:13 He was defeated by another pro-Trump candidate, but the results may suggest there is a limit to hateful rhetoric Tennessee Republican Congressman Andy Ogles walks through the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on 3 February 2026 (Heather Diehl/Getty Images via AFP) Off A Tennessee lawmaker known for his frequent anti-Muslim remarks lost his primary race on Thursday, even though he had the endorsement of US President Donald Trump

Al Jazeera's Nils Adler reports on how far-right 'Active Clubs' use fitness and camaraderie to recruit young white men.

What freedom feels like after Gaza Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 18:40 In London, I meet two Palestinian friends who survived the genocide

In a post to Truth Social, Trump said he was extremely happy with Hegseths work and added that the war with Iran is going very well, including ensuring that Iran will be unable to obtain a nuclear weapon. US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 3 August 2026 (Jim Watson/AFP)

GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday sent a letter to South Korean regulators raising concerns about a law they say will lead to censorship.

A mass shooting at a rural house in Caswell County, North Carolina, US, on Wednesday morning led to multiple deaths, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

After Michigan upset, Aipac looks to back Republican candidate against Abdul El-Sayed Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Wed, 08/05/2026 - 15:39 While this was a race where Israel loomed large, the focus was on how the candidates were funded US Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks to supporters and the media during a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, on 2 August 2026 (Rebecca Cook/Reuters) Off After spending more than $30m on a candidate who lost the Michigan Democratic Senate primary on Wednesday, the leading pro-Israel lobbying group in the US has now indicated it will pivot to the Republican in that race come November

The two discussed their shared commitment to safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring Iran never develops or obtains a nuclear weapon, according to Tommy Pigott, the US state department spokesperson. Miliband was recently appointed to the role by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a move which the White House called deeply concerning due to disagreements over Milibands net-zero commitments while he served as the UKs energy minister

China on Wednesday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to Japan's 2026 Defense White Paper, saying it once again targeted China with groundless accusations, rehashing the so-called "China threat" and grossly interfering in China's internal affairs with brazen comments on China's Taiwan region.

Poll on Japan's release of the new defense white paper

Evening update Good evening Middle East Eye readers, If you are just joining us now, here are the latest developments from across the region: Israeli military sets off 'huge explosion' in southern Lebanon's Haddatha as the first day of a new round of Israel-Lebanon talks commence in Rome, expected to continue until Thursday A projectile sinks an Indian vessel near Yemeni waters, with all 14 seafarers safely rescued by the Yemeni coast guard Iran's foreign ministry says that talks with Oman are progressing 'positively' to negotiate a safe and secure route through the Strait of Hormuz Israeli forces continue to intensifytown raidsin the occupied West Bank as Israeli Knesset approves an additional $36m for settlement expansion US Central Command says it has redirected another ship in its blockade of Iranian ports, adding that the Strait of Hormuz remains 'free and open' for traffic Netanyahu says Israeli forces 'are not withdrawing from the current lines in Gaza', and that he disagreed with Trump's Board of Peace roadmap plan for Gaza White House is reportedly set to extend the Jones Act waiver, which has already reachedits longest suspension since it was enacted, in an effort to try to lower gas prices amid the surge caused by the Iran war, according to Reuters

The White House confirmed Tuesdays meeting to address advanced model safety amid recent high-profile hacking incidents.

White House set to extend Jones Act waiver to push down gas prices The White House is expected to extend the Jones Act waiver in the coming days as a tool to try to hold down gas prices as a result of the US-Israeli war on Iran, according to Reuters, citing sources

A Chinese defense spokesperson on Tuesday slammed Japan's annual defense white paper for spreading false narratives and hyping a so-called security crisis in the region.

Japan's Defense Ministry on Tuesday released its annual defense white paper, "Defense of Japan 2026," which continued to portray an "increasingly severe" regional security environment, in an effort to pave the way for revising the country's three key security documents by the end of this year and accelerating its military buildup.

President Donald Trumps June executive order directed officials to develop a process to evaluate the cybersecurity capabilities of advanced AI models.

The White House is distorting intelligence assessments instead of working to protect the midterm elections.

Miller has denied the allegations made against him by his ex-wife Emily Moreno, daughter of Ohio Sen

Hearing underscores years-long partisan divide on lightning-rod issue fuelled by misleading White House claims.

OpenAI's Sam Altman and Nvidia's Jensen Huang were among tech leaders in Washington, D.C., ahead of a deadline the White House set in its AI executive order.

The food delivery company is the latest to be asked to share details of AI use by two House committee conducting a joint investigation.

Watch: Search operations for victims of US strike in Qeshm, where three were found killed Footage released on Thursday by Iranian state TV IRIB showed rescue teams clearing rubble in search of victims in the Chah-Tango neighbourhood of Qeshm Island following a US strike

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, US attacks on Iran escalated overnight, following president Donald Trump's remarks on Wednesday that Washington would hit Iran "very hard"

US strike on family home in Iran's Qeshm kills three, including toddler A US strike ona residential house in Qeshm, located in Iran's Hormozgan, killed three members of a family and injured two others

More explosions reported in Iran, two children wounded by US strike in Qeshm Island Furtherblasts were heard in parts of the southern Iranian city of Ahvaz, in Khuzestan province

Watch: Trump says Iran would be hit 'very hard' US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the US would hit Iran "very hard" after an attack on the US military in Jordan. "So it's our turn," Trump told reporters at the White House

The ranking member of the House Committee on Energy is demanding SpaceX records and a tour of its data centers and power plants in and around Memphis.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is meeting with a range of senior Trump administration officials, lawmakers and economists.

Trump says will hit Iran hard after attack, was briefed on Egypt tankers US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the US would hitIranvery hard after an attack on the US military in Jordan. "So it's our turn," Trump told reporters at the White House

Netanyahu calls meeting with Trump at White House 'excellent' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he had an excellent meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he and US President Donald Trump discussed the production of US-designed Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict during their meeting at the White House.

US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday in their first in-person talks since the United States and Israel launched joint military operations against Iran on February 28.

Had a very good meeting! Obviously, many important subjects were discussed," he wrotein a post on his social media platform Truth Social. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poses for a picture with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in the White House, Washington DC, ahead of their meeting on 28 July (GPO/AFP)

US President Donald Trump has held talks at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A group of demonstrators gathered near the White House to protest Benjamin Netanyahus visit to Washington.

White phosphorus leak reported at US air base in South Korea

The US is overhauling how it funds science to stay ahead of global rivals. A new 123-page White House report scraps the post-war model of university-led research and instead bets on individual scientists, AI-driven discovery and a $5 billion platform called Genesis Mission.The report, Science: A New Golden Age,was submittedto President Trump on July 21 by Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

US House Democratic leader unveils 'Fighting for an Affordable America' agenda, blaming Donald Trump for rising costs.

The majority of suicides in the U.S

Democrats see a path back to the U.S

Documentary follows children under occupation and the couple who run a holistic primary school as Israel's war persists.

German police say a white car drove into Tiergarten Park, near the route of a Pride march, hitting several people.

Trump addressed the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner as organizers honoured Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales for his actions during April's shooting.

White House hails pledge that seeks to shield consumers from the cost of energy for data centres as 'historic'.

The two countries top diplomats also held a phone call on Wednesday. Read more: Normalisation not discussed during months of Saudi-US nuclear negotiations, sources say US President Donald Trump, left, greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the White House's South Lawn in Washington, DC, on 18 November 2025 (Saul Loeb/AFP)

Social media influencers to be extradited after UK authorities file dozens of new sex crime charges against them.

House oversight Chair James Comer said Jes Staley defended Jeffrey Epstein and encouraged JPMorgan to retain him despite internal red flags.

New rules around casual office attire mark a bold change in a country where dark suits and white shirts have long been the uniform for office workers.

US House of Representatives votes to halt Iran war, in another symbolic rebuke of Trump The Republican-led US House of Representatives backed legislation on Thursday directing President Donald Trump to halt the US war on Iran, the latest symbolic rebuke of the Republican president from Congress

A White House official said Moonshot AI, which released the powerful Kimi K3 model last week, accessed Nvidia's GB300 chips in Thailand.

Strikes from the US on Iran are raining down for the 12th night in a row.

US passes $1 trillion military spending bill The US House of Representatives narrowly passed its version of a massive defence policy bill on Wednesday, despite Democrats' concerns about its huge price tag, the Iran war and a provision that would boost Pentagon ties to Israel