Trump News for Friday, October 16, 2026

“If you’re in doubt about somebody’s name from the Middle East, just say ‘Mohammed,’” says US President Donald Trump. He made the comments at a rally in Georgia when speculating on who the next president of Iran would be.

Katie Zacharia, former White House press secretary, served a five-day stint. She's among three others who held the position for under two months.

Anthony Scaramucci, the person central to memes about Katie Zacharia, has thoughts for the now-former press secretary.

The lawmakers say American personnel were endangered in attacks on Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is escalating its fight with California ahead of next month's midterm election, warning that local officials who process and tabulate ballots submitted by suspected noncitizen voters are putting themselves at risk of…

From space missions to a hard-boiled egg, here are 10 things that lasted longer than Katie Zacharia's tenure as White House press secretary.

Both billionaires denied being responsible for the decision to partially paralyze Ukraine's military satellite network this week.

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is out of a…

Her public debut as White House press secretary on Tuesday ended with a flurry of media criticism about her credentials and preparedness.

The White House is facing growing adversity, writes the BBC's Anthony Zurcher, weeks before crucial midterm elections.

Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after just five days on the job, following an awkward first briefing that drew widespread criticism.

LOOMER: GIVE ME THE JOB... (Top headline, 6th story, link) Related stories:ZACHARIA CHOP... FIRED AFTER 5 DAYS... DON: WANT HER TO HAVE GOOD LIFE... New Press Secretary Suffers Fatal Blow in FOX Interview... Hannity the exec…

The White House says the new press secretary is "transitioning out" of the role just days after taking the job.

“wow, the trump economy’s so bad that everyone’s losing their jobs.”View Entire Post ›

Katie Zacharia served as White House press secretary from October 12 to 16, 2026, a roughly 4-day tenure identified as the shortest in the role’s history. Her LinkedIn listed her as Fix Calif…

Al Jazeera has confirmed that White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is “transitioning out” of her role.

Speed curbs limited Ukraine's defences against deadly Russian attacks on Tuesday night.

Donald Trump is once again praising Bill Maher following a dinner he has at the White House with the HBO host along with Stephen A. Smith and Kid Rock. “It was a great dinner, it was a very informative dinner,” Trump told reporters on Friday. “Smart people. S…

Katie Zacharia’s tenure as White House press secretary only lasted five days before President Trump fired her Friday, breaking the record for shortest duration in the role. Anthony Scaramucci, who only served for 11 days as White House communications director…

Trump advised Katie Zacharia to reconsider her press secretary role due to media backlash over her credentials.

Senators made a deal to protect clean energy from presidential interference. It may not be enough.

Trump fired his latest White House press secretary after less than a week on the job

President Trump signaled on Friday that he might replace embattled new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia after less than one week on the job. Around the same time, multiple outlets reported that Zacharia had already been let go. Citing "three people …

Through statements in English, Iranian officials are emphasising gas prices and issues with the US economy.

President Zelenskyy warned Russia’s ambitions extend beyond eastern Ukraine, saying its drone attack threaten NATO.

Katie Zacharia has been ousted as White House press secretary after less than a week in the job, CNN and other outlets reported on Friday. Her exit follows middling reviews for her debut press briefing on Tuesday, which lasted just 14 minutes, but also a stre…

Zacharia has been on the job since Monday.

Katie Zacharia made her White House press briefing debut on Tuesday and quickly came under intense scrutiny over her legal credentials.

MapQuest... welcome to the resistance.

Hmm, this law might be too broad?

Ukraine’s 'Operation Vivaldi' reclaimed more occupied territory in Donetsk during a week when Trump sided with Russia.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signaled Friday that his embattled new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, may be on her way out — a mere week after he picked her for the post. Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn as he left for a rally in Ge…

Trump plays a significant role in Georgia's races, with Democrats working to tie their GOP opponents to Trump’s unpopular policies on the economy and war with Iran.

Rudy Giuliani’s legal defense fund has spent $1.2 million throughout the 2026 election cycle—but the vast majority of it hasn’t gone to legal fees.Instead, the former Trump adviser has spent his money on fundraising consultants, blowing $442,000 on a contract…

A majority of Americans support the death penalty for people convicted of murder, but support becomes more divided when questions vary.

Maddie Evans defended comparing herself to Katy Perry, saying a decade of menopause struggles taught her to embrace her body without apologies.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy asks EU leaders for extra $79bn to help fight Russia next year.

Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi has regained crucial territory in the Donbas but optimism has been dampened by souring relations with President Trump.

Zelensky thanked the "real leaders" ahead of a meeting with the EU in Brussels.

Elon Musk has assembled a presidential-level field operation this midterm cycle, underscoring the extent to which he has taken over the get-out-the-vote effort for the Republican party.

Immigrant advocacy groups have sued the Trump administration to stop what they call a "cruel and unlawful scheme" to fast-track migrant children's asylum cases.

The White House press secretary's legal credentials have generated scrutiny. Recruiters are used to asking questions about job candidates.

Trump’s hapless new press secretary becomes the latest symbol of a collapsing regime

WASHINGTON (AP) — Investments in pharmaceutical companies made on behalf of President Donald Trump increased significantly after he returned to the White House last year, with his portfolio adding millions of dollars in stock in firms that benefited from a Re…

As the US attacks the ICC, Kuala Lumpur welcomes a leader the court’s prosecutor wants arrested.

The battle for voters in the 2026 midterm elections is playing out on the TikTok For You Page, as creators influence Americans.

US and Russia each have more than 4,000 warheads. China set to catch up with them within five years, Trump says.

The following is a lightly edited transcript of the October 16 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here.Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network. I’m your host, Greg Sargent.The new Fo…

Yields are above multidecade highs, both gas and diesel prices continue to climb, and critical midterm elections are around the corner.Adding to pressure on the US economy and the current administration, the world's two largest hot wars are heating up.'Iran k…

Brad Smith also defended Microsoft against JD Vance's claim that the company replaced laid-off Americans with foreign workers.

Trump is reviving his Obama-era birther conspiracy, this time targeting the Minnesota Democrat

Every Trump policy comes with a body count. Is that the point?

It is the first time the president has addressed nuclear weapons, but he didn't deny US could use 'mother of all bombs'.

Plumes of smoke rise from an oil refinery after a Ukrainian drone strike in Moscow on 20 September.Photograph: Reuters Donald Trump has called Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries “a disgrace”, while renewing his criticism of Volodymyr ⁠Zel…

A vocal group of activists has Trump’s ear, but it remains unclear how the president will respond

Rep. Delia Ramirez and writers Rozina Ali and Will Sommer discuss the ICE raid on Ilhan Omar and the years of “counterterror” surveillance that paved the way for the Trump administration’s abuses. The post DHS Was Designed as a Weapon appeared first on The In…

In the run-up to this second Trump term, there were a lot of predictions, assumptions, extrapolations, and truisms that turned out to be very wrong. One of the most significant (and arguably among the most defensible) was that the money men would somewhat ins…

The Democrats are poised to win big in next month’s elections. That’s great news because it will give the party enough congressional seats to rein in President Trump in Washington and enough gubernatorial and state legislative seats to blunt the mini-Trumps i…

“With all my heart” is how Natalie Harp, President Donald Trump’s slavishly devoted assistant and “human printer,” signed one letter to her boss, the man she calls her “Guardian and Protector in this Life.” Harp’s letters to Trump are odd—to put it mildly—ode…

More than a year after cutting 30% of its workforce and disrupting dozens of public health programs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is lagging in hiring.

Inflation-adjusted average hourly earnings have declined to about the level they were at when President Donald Trump took office for his second term.

A focus group of eight Gen Z Trump voters reported feeling unhappy or disappointed with the state of politics, with some going as far as to say they regret supporting him in 2024.

White House aides, who have kept clashes muted during President Donald Trump's second term, have begun jostling more openly for power as they brace for widespread midterm election losses and internal upheaval, according to interviews with 20 staffers, adviser…

New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia appears to have reservations about China's toilets (Jim WATSON) Beijing told the White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia on Friday to visit China "more often", after she said the country lacked "proper toilet…

Women associated with the president have been drawing unusual attention this week, with Kelly Loeffler being the latest to land on the “MAGA face” list.

Katie Zacharia said she had been on the job for "less than maybe eight hours" before she delivered her first press briefing.

Solar panels can be an economic lifeline for farmers. Now they're going to be a lot harder to build.

Headlines say the dirtiest fossil fuel is now “back in fashion” thank to the Iran war — but there's much more to the story.

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump's midterm campaign blitz arrives in Georgia on Friday for a rally with top Republican candidates in a state that has long been the epicenter of the president's false claims about election fraud. In Dalton, the population center o…

Seven years ago, a political appointee in the first Trump administration approached U.S. immigration authorities with a request that alarmed career staffers: Scrub the immigration records of Rep. Ilhan Omar, then a newly elected Democratic lawmaker from Minne…

The Federal Aviation Administration will likely have thoughts about the Tesla Roadster 2’s ability to leave the ground.

ICE agents stand guard at the New York ICE field office at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on July 31, 2026 in New York City. A Brooklyn judge ruled the federal government lacked standing to challenge city policies limiting cooperation with immigratio…