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Press secretary vacancy
President Donald Trump said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave at the end of the month, and an administration official told NBC News the White House may not name a permanent replacement until after the November midterm elections.
“may not name a permanent replacement for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt”
The Independent reported that a White House official said the White House does not intend to name a replacement for Leavitt when she steps down as press secretary at the end of this month.
Leavitt confirmed the move in a post on X, calling it a "bittersweet decision" and writing that she had concluded she could not balance the demands of the job with being the mother she wanted to be to her two young children.
NBC News said the White House may continue offering reporters briefings from senior administration officials such as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent while the role remains open.
The BBC said the guessing-game over who will replace Leavitt has already begun, with sources within and close to the administration saying no decision has yet been made.
Who might step in
The BBC outlined potential candidates for the press secretary role, including Alina Habba, who the BBC said was formerly President Trump's personal lawyer and was described by Trump as "unwavering in her loyalty" and a "tireless advocate for justice."
The BBC also described Katie Miller as a conservative podcaster and former Trump staffer, noting that she served as press secretary to former Vice-President Mike Pence from 2019 to 2020 and then as his communications director from 2020 to 2021.
In parallel, The Independent said the White House will continue offering reporters briefings from senior administration officials such as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
NBC News reported that Trump does intend to replace Leavitt but is "in no hurry to do so" while the administration weighs whether to fill the role before the midterms.
The New York Times said Trump did not name a replacement in his announcement and did not provide a timeline for naming one.
Deployment strain and response
NBC News said the Pentagon plans to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, one of two aircraft carriers in the Middle East, as military leaders privately raise concerns inside the Pentagon and the White House about low morale and widespread fatigue among service members on extended deployment to support the Iran war.
“The Pentagon plans to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln”
The Guardian reported that Defense secretary Pete Hegseth said concerns about conditions on board the USS Abraham Lincoln are "completely misrepresented" and told reporters in Panama, "We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment."
The Guardian said two leading specialist military papers, the Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, are reporting multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard as poor conditions and mental stresses on the Lincoln reach the breaking point.
The Guardian added that Democrats on the Senate armed services committee wrote to Hegseth and the acting secretary of the US Navy, Hung Cao, for more information, with Richard Blumenthal writing about "widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues" and disruptions in the mail system.
NBC News also quoted a U.S. official saying the president’s safety and security is paramount, and that there are statutes governing it, in the context of questions about a separate episode involving a decoy plane from Turkey.
