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Trump names Leavitt successor after weeks of speculation — and she’s no stranger to MAGA
President Donald Trump tapped a trusted ally from the company behind his Truth Social platform to become his next White House press secretary Friday, naming attorney and television commentator Katie Zacharia to succeed Karoline Leavitt.
Two White House officials confirmed the selection to Digital before Trump publicly announced the appointment on X.
Zacharia, an attorney and frequent television commentator, currently serves as senior communications adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the president’s social media platform, Truth Social. She will succeed former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
«It is my Great Honor to have just appointed, as Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia. Katie currently serves as Senior Communications Advisor to Truth Social (Trump Media & Technology Group), where she has been outstanding!» Trump wrote Friday afternoon.
KAROLINE LEAVITT JOINS AS CONTRIBUTOR AFTER LEAVING WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY ROLE
Zacharia celebrated the appointment in a post on X, thanking Trump for what she called the «distinguished privilege» of serving as White House press secretary.
«Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250-year mark is the honor of a lifetime,» Zacharia wrote. «President Trump has shown America that we can be great again, and he works to effectuate that greatness every single day. His confidence is a true privilege, and his leadership is a blessing to this country.»
Zacharia said her focus would be on communicating the administration’s accomplishments to the American public while working with reporters across the country.
«The work ahead is to continue delivering strong results for our Country and communicating to the American people the major wins that this Administration is making every single day,» she wrote. «I look forward to working with the White House press corps, and with reporters across the country, to get that record out.»
She also acknowledged the expectations that come with succeeding Leavitt.
«Following the fabulous Karoline Leavitt is a high standard, and one worth meeting,» Zacharia wrote.
Zacharia previously served briefly as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security following the departure of Tricia McLaughlin, who had served as press secretary under former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
KAROLINE LEAVITT HEADS FOR WHITE HOUSE EXIT AS SPECULATION BUILDS OVER WHO TRUMP PICKS NEXT
«Katie is a distinguished Graduate of Pepperdine University, and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, an attorney, and a frequent Commentator on outlets, including and Newsmax. She was previously involved in my Campaigns, assisting in key Swing States, where we won 7 out of 7. She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,» said Trump.
«She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA! I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration. Katie is replacing the fabulous Karoline Leavitt, who did a fantastic job as Press Secretary. Good luck Katie,» he added.
A 41-year-old mother of four, Zacharia has been married to her husband Tyler since 2011. He is a producer known for projects like the 2019 film «The Irishman» and 2025 movie, «Roofman.» Zacharia notes on her Instagram that her husband has also worked with Angel Studios on «David,» «Brink of War» and «Young Washington.»
WHITE HOUSE PLANS GUEST HOSTS FOR PRESS BRIEFINGS WHILE KAROLINE LEAVITT TAKES MATERNITY LEAVE
Since Leavitt’s departure, there have been only two formal White House press briefings — one with Vice President JD Vance and one with Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The White House adopted a rotating lineup of top Trump administration officials to lead press briefings while former press secretary Karoline Leavitt was on maternity leave over the summer.
«Katie has been an effective champion of MAGA movement and America First policies – and most importantly clearly has [the] trust of President Trump,» former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer told Digital.
«Anyone who has not met her yet will quickly see that she is a genuinely kind person who will work well with the press corps, unlike the first press secretary who came across as an angry leprechaun at times,» Spicer added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio kicked off the rotation, followed by Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. Rather than relying on a single deputy press secretary, the administration tapped high-profile officials to field questions from reporters on the president’s agenda.
Names previously floated as potential replacements for Leavitt included former Trump attorney and current Justice Department adviser Alina Habba, CNN political commentator Scott Jennings, principal deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, former Pence communications director Katie Miller, White House communications director Steven Cheung and Breitbart Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle.
white house, donald trump, politics
INTERNACIONAL
Thousands flood Brussels streets as anti-austerity protests erupt into clashes with police
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Thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of Brussels on Friday, at times clashing with police officers, to protest the Belgian government’s budget-tightening measures and the overall rise in the cost of living.
Dozens of protesters, most of them young and dressed in black with masks over their faces, were seen throwing rocks and firecrackers at police at the central Brussels railway station, The Associated Press reported.
They also set several fires, with photos showing a man lighting an electric scooter ablaze.
A man sets a shared electric scooter on fire during a national protest against the Belgian government’s planned budget measures in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
MAY DAY PROTESTS ACROSS EUROPE AND ASIA TURN INTO ANTI-AMERICAN, ANTI-ISRAEL POLITICAL BATTLEGROUNDS
Riot police responded by deploying tear gas canisters and shooting water cannons, tactics that dispersed the crowds. The chaos in the streets contributed to increased traffic across the Belgian capital.
Police said the unrest was caused by people unaffiliated with the anti-austerity demonstration, which drew an estimated 30,000 participants, the AP reported.
Two of Belgium’s largest labor unions organized Friday’s daylong national strike, with a separate public-sector walkout planned for Monday. Union leaders also distanced themselves from the unrest, saying those responsible were not affiliated with their movement.
Protesters clash with riot police during a national demonstration against government budget cuts and proposed reforms in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
THINK YOUR STATE IS EXPENSIVE? NEW DATA REVEALS WHERE AMERICANS FACE THE HIGHEST COST-OF-LIVING
Union members and their supporters were dressed in red or green as they marched peacefully throughout the city.
Marie Gobert, a single mother and social worker, came to Brussels from Namur for the march, telling the AP she «cannot make ends meet.»
The rising cost of schools, public transport and train tickets is what preoccupies her the most.
Thousands of demonstrators take part in a national protest organized by Belgian labor unions in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
FRANCE ROCKED BY STUDENT RIOTS AS HUNDREDS ARRESTED, VIOLENCE SPREADS NATIONWIDE
«You can feel the social tension, you can feel anger starting to simmer everywhere,» Gobert said. «The education system is being dismantled, and when young people want to speak out, no one listens to them.»
This summer, Belgium’s French Community government raised standard university tuition by roughly 43% this academic year, from €835 to €1,194, as part of a broader austerity program.
A man kicks a tear gas canister back toward police during a protest in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
In June, there were clashes between protesters and police in Brussels over dissatisfaction with the tuition hike and other issues with the French-language education system, including overcrowded classrooms and difficulty accessing study materials.
This week, hundreds of students took to the streets of the eastern Belgian city of Liège. Local media reported that 107 students were arrested.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
world, world protests, europe, controversies education
INTERNACIONAL
Dem scrambles to change tune on trans athletes as Trump targets past record: ‘Annie Trannie’
A South Carolina Democrat running for U.S. Senate who previously opposed legislation restricting transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ sports is now emphasizing her opposition to biological males participating in female athletics as President Donald Trump targets her record ahead of the midterm elections.
Trump took aim at Annie Andrews, a pediatrician challenging Republican Sen. Darline Graham, in a series of Truth Social posts this week, dubbing her «Annie Trannie» and accusing her of supporting transgender policies that are out of step with South Carolina voters.
The president also shared an attack ad accusing Andrews of supporting biological males competing against female athletes. «Annie Andrews is for they/them, not for our values, not for South Carolina,» the ad said.
But Andrews pushed back in an interview with Digital on Thursday, arguing that her positions have been misrepresented.
«I don’t support biological men playing in women’s sports and I don’t support gender surgery on minors,» Andrews said.
Her comments stand in contrast to her public opposition to South Carolina’s 2022 Save Women’s Sports Act, which restricted transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ and women’s school sports. At the time, Andrews called the legislation «shameful» and «actively harmful,» raising questions about how she reconciles her past opposition to the law with her current campaign position.
DEMOCRATS ARE CHANGING THEIR TRANSGENDER MESSAGE. REPUBLICANS SAY THEY’RE JUST FLIP-FLOPPING
As passed, the bill required interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural and club teams sponsored by public schools and colleges to be designated as male or female-coded. It then closed women’s teams to male students and similarly closed men’s sports to women — unless the school did not have a designated women’s team. Private schools competing against public schools were required to follow the same rules.
It also allowed students harmed by a violation to sue schools.
Andrews’ social media post at the time garnered resurfaced attention as she launched her 2026 Senate bid, attracting pressure from Republicans.
«Annie «Trannie» Andrews is running against our wonderful Darline Graham for the Senate in South Carolina,» Trump wrote in one post.
«Annie Trannie is not, in particular, as it pertains to representing the Values of the Great People of South Carolina — She is in favor of Transgender for Everyone, Open Borders, Defunding the Police, High Taxes, a Weak Military, and will absolutely fight to take your guns away — In other words, she is against our Great Second Amendment! Trannie is not for South Carolina, and South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her,» Trump added.
In her interview with Digital, Andrews dismissed Trump’s barb, calling it a distraction from the issues central to voters in South Carolina.
«And in regards to the name-calling, if calling me names is going to lower gas and diesel prices here for so many hardworking South Carolinian families, if it’s going to lower grocery prices or somehow make healthcare more affordable then he can call me all the names he wants but I don’t think that’s a path to solution so I’m going to stay focused on what I can do to help folks in South Carolina,» Andrews said.
Andrews did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment on whether her statements reflected a change in stance. She also did not expand on what had drawn criticism for the Save Women’s Sports Act.
TALARICO CAMP SAYS HE OPPOSES TRANS ATHLETES IF UNSAFE OR UNFAIR BUT ACCUSES POLITICIANS OF BULLYING STUDENTS
At least one Republican onlooker, National Republican Senatorial Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia, believes her remarks speaks poorly of the message she’s presenting to voters.
«Annie Andrews’ blatant lies show just how desperate she is and how little she thinks of South Carolinians. But nothing Andrews says or does will change her far-left record,» Puglia said in a comment.
This isn’t the first time Andrews has received Republican criticisms for what they view as retreats from trans policies. In 2022, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., called out Andrews for, in her view, trying to walk back her opposition to H. 4047, a bill that would «prohibit the performance of a medical procedure or the prescription or issuance of medication, upon or to a minor, that is intended to alter the appearance of the minor’s gender or delay puberty, with exceptions; to create criminal penalties; and for other purposes.»
Andrews said she opposed the bill in a post to X, calling it «dangerous,» only to later say that she opposed trans procedures for minors.
«She called thewww.youtube.comwww.youtube.com legislation to ban that kind of surgery dangerous. She called that legislation an attack on our youth. And it wasn’t until we called her out on it that she decided that she’s now not for something that she was very publicly in support of just last year. And so it’s really hard to play hide and seek from your public comments, because once you tweet it, it’s on their public record forever. And that’s how we discovered it,» Mace told Digital at the time.
Notably, she isn’t the only Democrat who in recent weeks has received attention for seeming shifts in her position over transgender policies. Fellow Democrats like Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., and Sarah Trone Garriott, a congressional candidate in Iowa, have all been forced to reiterate their positions as Republicans have highlighted their records on the subject.
WATCH: BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRAT CALLED IOWA A ‘BACKWATER’ OVER TRANSGENDER ATHLETES BAN
In Kaptur’s case, she described how she had «voted with Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of our schools» despite voting against a women’s sports bill. Similarly, Davis voted «present» on that same women’s bill while later claiming that women should have «safe and fair space» in sports. And Garriott, who cast a vote against a ban on biological men in women’s locker rooms, clarified her stance earlier this year, stating that «I oppose letting men in women’s locker rooms.»
Those statements reflect broader trends in public opinion showing consensus on trans athlete policies.
Recently, the Pew Research Center found in a Aug. 11 report that 73% of respondents were «not at all» or «not too» comfortable with «athletes competing on sports teams that do not match their sex at birth,» compared to just 13% that replied that they were «extremely» or «very» comfortable with the idea. Similarly, 66% of participants said they would support laws or policies requiring trans athletes to compete on teams that match their biological sex compared to 15% who said they would oppose such policies.
With just four weeks left to address criticisms over her views, Andrews now heads to South Carolina’s general election on Nov. 3., having cleared the state’s Democratic primary earlier this year in June.
politics, democrats elections, south carolina
INTERNACIONAL
El volcán Kīlauea da una señal antes de lanzar fuentes de lava: qué descubrieron los científicos en Hawái
El volcán Kīlauea empezó a “inflarse” antes de cada episodio de lava y esa señal permitió a los científicos anticipar, con varios días de margen, cuándo podía reanudarse la actividad en su cumbre de Hawái. El patrón, identificado durante una secuencia récord de erupciones, ofrece una herramienta concreta para mejorar las alertas ante uno de los fenómenos más visibles y cambiantes de la volcanología.
Un estudio publicado en la revista Science analizó los primeros 39 episodios de fuentes de lava que comenzaron en diciembre de 2024 en el cráter Halemaʻumaʻu, en la cima del Kīlauea, dentro del Parque Nacional de los Volcanes de Hawái. La conclusión no consiste en anticipar una hora exacta, pero sí en delimitar ventanas probables para una nueva erupción.
La cumbre del Kīlauea se eleva antes de cada nueva fuente de lava
Entre un episodio y otro, los instrumentos registraron un ascenso lento del terreno alrededor de la cumbre. Durante las erupciones, en cambio, el suelo descendía de manera rápida. Para los investigadores, el ciclo refleja la acumulación de presión dentro de un reservorio de magma poco profundo, seguida por su liberación cuando la lava asciende.
Ese comportamiento se repitió con suficiente regularidad como para que el Observatorio Volcánico de Hawái, perteneciente al Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos, pudiera fijar intervalos de previsión. El organismo ya había usado los datos de inclinación del terreno para anticipar posibles reinicios de la actividad durante la actual erupción.
La secuencia comenzó el 23 de diciembre de 2024 y superó registros previos del volcán. Hasta agosto de 2026 se habían contabilizado 54 episodios de fuentes de lava, según datos del Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos. La mayoría duró entre seis y doce horas, con pausas de una a varias semanas.
El récord de erupciones convirtió a Hawái en un laboratorio a cielo abierto
Las fuentes de lava expulsan roca fundida y gases a gran velocidad desde las chimeneas volcánicas. En el caso del Kīlauea, algunas alcanzaron varios cientos de metros de altura. La serie acumuló observaciones de cámaras, estaciones sísmicas, sensores de gas, satélites y equipos que miden las deformaciones del terreno.
La disponibilidad de ese conjunto de datos distingue a esta erupción de las anteriores. Los investigadores combinaron las mediciones geofísicas con el estudio de rocas y vidrio volcánico para seguir las variaciones en la composición del magma que alimenta el sistema.
Las fuentes más altas de la secuencia superaron los 500 metros, de acuerdo con una base de datos del Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos actualizada en septiembre. El material expulsado y llevado por el viento afectó sectores del parque, rutas e infraestructura en los alrededores del volcán.
El episodio 38, ocurrido el 6 de diciembre de 2025, dejó una imagen de la potencia de las erupciones. Una fuente inclinada hacia el sur cubrió una cámara de transmisión en directo con unos 10 metros de salpicaduras volcánicas, a unos 630 metros de distancia.
Los gases podrían ser la llave para explicar el inicio de las erupciones
El trabajo pone bajo revisión dos explicaciones para las fuentes episódicas. Una de ellas plantea que el magma libera cerca de la superficie burbujas de gas ricas en vapor de agua. Esas burbujas reducen la densidad del material y aceleran la salida de lava por las chimeneas.
La otra hipótesis ubica el proceso a mayor profundidad, donde una espuma con abundante dióxido de carbono se acumula en el reservorio magmático y luego colapsa, con un efecto similar al de una válvula que se abre.
Los análisis químicos detectaron la llegada periódica de magma más caliente a lo largo de los meses. Sin embargo, no hallaron cambios nítidos de composición entre cada episodio. A partir del episodio 14, los científicos observaron ascensos y descensos repetidos del magma antes de que la actividad se sostuviera.
Ese comportamiento apunta, de forma preliminar, a una acumulación y liberación de gases cerca de la superficie. Los datos disponibles se ajustan más a la hipótesis de las burbujas ricas en agua, aunque los autores advierten que hacen falta nuevas observaciones para resolver la discusión.
Las previsiones buscan reducir riesgos dentro y fuera del parque
La actividad se concentra en un área cerrada del Parque Nacional de los Volcanes de Hawái, pero sus efectos pueden extenderse más allá del cráter. Las emisiones contienen principalmente vapor de agua, dióxido de carbono y dióxido de azufre, mientras que la ceniza y otros fragmentos volcánicos dependen de la dirección del viento.
Las transmisiones en directo del Observatorio Volcánico de Hawái también se transformaron en una vía de información para residentes y visitantes. El estudio destaca que el público local fue el que más siguió esas imágenes, una señal de la utilidad de las cámaras para comunicar cambios rápidos en la actividad.
El monitoreo continúa para determinar cómo interactúan el ingreso de magma, la presión subterránea, la permeabilidad de los conductos y la separación de gases. Cada nuevo episodio suma datos a un sistema volcánico que, además de ofrecer un espectáculo visible desde la superficie, puede ayudar a perfeccionar la predicción de futuras erupciones.
Kīlauea,volcán,erupción,lava,Hawái,magma,penacho,geología,naturaleza
Thousands flood Brussels streets as anti-austerity protests erupt into clashes with police
Dem scrambles to change tune on trans athletes as Trump targets past record: ‘Annie Trannie’
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