Politics & World Affairs — August 13, 2026

Leavitt to leave White House. President Trump announced press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest in the role's history, will step down at the end of the month to spend time with her young family.

USA Today · Read more →

Maine Senate race stays locked. Troy Jackson leads Sen. Susan Collins by two points in a new Fox News poll, with voters weighing her Trump ties against his progressive links.

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Crowley wins Wisconsin governor primary. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley defeated democratic socialist Francesca Hong by roughly 3,000 votes, defying polls and setting up a general election against Trump-backed Rep. Tom Tiffany.

The result confirmed a margin far tighter than surveys had suggested, according to AP News, which reported the outcome stunned pollsters. The general election contrast is stark: Tiffany, a congressman endorsed by President Trump, has voted with the president 100% of the time, while Crowley emerges from a Democratic primary in which he fended off a challenge from the party's democratic socialist wing.

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Iran says Hormuz remains blocked. Iran's Persian Gulf authority said the strait will not reopen until its conditions are accepted, disputing Trump administration claims; shipping traffic has hit near three-month lows.

The standoff has produced dueling public accounts, with Tehran's Persian Gulf authority directly contradicting Washington's assertions about the waterway's status. CNBC reported that U.S. forces have disabled a third vessel and that gasoline is holding at $4, while shipping traffic through the strait has fallen to levels not seen in nearly three months. Despite the escalating rhetoric on both sides, the underlying situation has not materially changed.

CNBC · Read more →