Stories

Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Aug 15, 2026

Trump Orders the Navy to Rip the Electromagnetic Catapults Out of the Next Ford-Class Carrier and Go Back to 1950s Steam — and the Navy Starts Studying Whether to Move the Island to Match His WWII Aesthetic

On August 13, 2026, President Trump signed a national security memorandum, "Rebuilding the United States Navy and America's Shipbuilding Industrial Base," directing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to deliver a plan within 60 days to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Weapons Elevators with steam catapults and hydraulic elevators on the future USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), a Ford-class carrier already under construction. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the future USS John F. Kennedy and the future USS Enterprise keep EMALS; the reversal starts with the fourth ship. The same memo opens the door to foreign-built warships and foreign ship designs — a direct conflict with House and Senate NDAA language restricting construction in foreign yards — and directs planning for a fifth public shipyard. Two days later, on August 15, The Washington Post reported that the Navy is separately studying whether to relocate the carrier "island" — the multistory command tower — from its aft position toward the middle of the ship, because Trump prefers the look of World War II-era carriers. The aft island placement was a deliberate design choice to free deck space near the catapults and reduce turbulence on landing. The Navy examined moving it during Trump's first term and concluded the cost and delay would be, in one former senior official's words, "extraordinary." EMALS production on CVN-81 is roughly 50 percent complete. General Atomics, the manufacturer, warned that "changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks." Plans call for up to 10 Ford-class carriers over four decades at a projected $22 billion each. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) — a former Navy combat pilot with a master's in aeronautical engineering who sits on Armed Services — was the sharpest congressional voice against the order. Congress was in August recess, limiting on-record reaction.

“I've launched off the front of aircraft carriers hundreds of times, have a Master's degree in aeronautical engineering, and am a test pilot and even I wouldn't suggest to the Navy how to engineer specific systems on its ships.”
Mark Kelly (D-AZ) · Aug 15, 2026

Karoline Leavitt, the Youngest White House Press Secretary in History, Will Leave at the End of August

On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, President Trump announced on Truth Social that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will depart the administration at the end of the month. Leavitt, 28, was the youngest person ever to hold the job and the first to be pregnant in the role, having returned to the podium after the birth of her second child. Leavitt said in a post on X that she could not be the mother her two young children deserve while giving the press secretary's job the time it demands, calling the decision "bittersweet." Trump said he understood and respected the decision and that Leavitt would stay on as one of his top outside advisers and "an influential voice within the Republican Party" heading into the midterm elections. The announcement drew immediate praise from senior administration figures, including Vice President JD Vance and White House communications director Steven Cheung. NBC News reported the White House might not name a successor until after the November midterms — leaving the most visible communications post in the administration in flux during the closing stretch of the campaign, and during an August dominated by the Iran war, the Kennedy Center fight, and the SAVE America Act standoff.

“Karoline Leavitt has one of the hardest jobs in the Administration — dealing with the relentless attacks from the fake news media. She did the job with grace, wit and a smile on her face. She's been one of the most effective voices in articulating and defending the President's agenda, and I know how difficult yet rewarding a constant job like this can be for a young parent.”
JD Vance (R-OH) · Aug 12, 2026

DOJ Inspector General Launches Audit of Epstein Files Release Compliance

On April 23, 2026, the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General announced it is launching an audit to evaluate the DOJ's compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law passed in November 2025 that requires full disclosure of department files related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Deputy Inspector General William Blier said the preliminary objective is to "evaluate the DOJ's processes for identifying, redacting, and releasing records in its possession as required by the Act." The audit follows months of complaints from lawmakers — including Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who co-led the transparency act — that the DOJ has over-redacted and withheld material. Victims have also said sloppy redactions exposed their identities, while critics allege information damaging to President Trump has been withheld. The audit launches under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, following the earlier ouster of AG Pam Bondi. Senators Richard Blumenthal, Jeff Merkley, and Dick Durbin, among others, had written in December 2025 urging the OIG to conduct an independent review.

“Many of the documents DOJ allows Members of Congress to view remain redacted because they were received with redactions imposed by the FBI and US Attorneys, and Blanche has, as far as we can tell, neither requested nor obtained the original versions as required by EFTA.”
Thomas Massie (R-KY) · Apr 23, 2026

DOJ Indicts Southern Poverty Law Center on Federal Fraud Charges

A federal grand jury on April 21, 2026 returned an 11-count indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, charging the civil rights nonprofit with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of false statements to a federally insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The Justice Department alleges that between 2014 and 2023, the SPLC secretly funneled more than $3 million in donor funds to confidential informants associated with violent extremist groups including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, and the National Socialist Movement. Prosecutors say the organization used shell bank accounts under names like "Fox Photography" and "Rare Books Warehouse" to conceal the payments. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the SPLC was "manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose." The SPLC denied the allegations and vowed to defend itself, saying its informant program saved lives. Democrats characterized the indictment as politically motivated, while congressional Republicans backed the prosecution.

“The SPLC was not dismantling these groups, it was instead manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred.”
Todd Blanche (R) · Apr 21, 2026

Trump Calls on Republicans to 'Nationalize' Elections

During a nearly two-hour appearance on Dan Bongino's podcast on February 2, 2026, President Trump called on Republicans to "take over" and "nationalize" voting in at least 15 unspecified places, claiming without evidence that noncitizens were being brought to the country to vote illegally. The remarks drew bipartisan pushback, with legal experts noting such a move would contradict the Constitution's elections clause, which delegates election administration to state governments. The comments came days after the FBI executed a search warrant at a Fulton County, Georgia election office seeking 2020 election records.

“I'm not in favor of federalizing elections, no. I think that's a constitutional issue. I'm a big believer in decentralized and distributed power. And I think it's harder to hack 50 election systems than it is to hack one. In my view, at least, that's always a system that has worked pretty well.”
John Thune (R-SD) · Feb 3, 2026

Trump Claims NATO Deal for Greenland Control

President Trump announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21, 2026 that he had "formed the framework of a future deal" on Greenland following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and said he would not proceed with tariffs on eight European countries over the issue. He ruled out taking the territory by military force — "I won't do that" — while insisting no other country can defend Greenland and pressing for immediate negotiations. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said taking force off the table was positive but that "the president's ambition is intact." The push drew unusually direct opposition from Senate Republicans through January: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) argued Greenland should be treated as an ally rather than an asset, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) called the demands amateurish and absurd, Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) said the idea should be dropped, and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned it would incinerate NATO alliances. A bipartisan delegation led by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and including Tillis traveled to Copenhagen in mid-January to reassure Danish and Greenlandic leaders. The expansionist push also prompted boycott discussions for World Cup 2026 and strained transatlantic relations.

“We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won't do that.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Jan 21, 2026

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