NewzWhite House press secretary Katie Zacharia is transitioning out of the role after a brief and rough tenure as President Donald Trump’s chief spokeswoman. A person familiar with the matter said Zacharia is transitioning out of the job. The person was granted anonymity to discuss a personnel decision not yet made public.Trump cast significant doubt on Zacharia’s future earlier Friday, telling reporters that he would have a discussion with her following his weekend travel and that if he were her, he would reconsider the job.Trump was campaigning 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.The Latest:Democratic lawmakers urge DOJ to rule out seizing ballots or voting equipment in the midtermsThree Democratic senators wrote to Attorney General Todd Blanche on Friday requesting a commitment that he won’t seize ballots or any other midterm election materials before the votes have concluded and the results have been certified.The letter from Sens.
Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Dick Durbin, D-Il., argued any such actions would constitute unlawful election interference by the Justice Department.The letter comes against a backdrop of escalating threats by the DOJ to election officials who don’t comply with its demands. On Thursday, the DOJ sued California election officials, alleging they didn’t act quickly enough to review names the federal government identified as “likely” noncitizens.The Justice Department seized 2020 ballots from Georgia’s Fulton County earlier this year, saying it was investigating “irregularities.” Georgia’s votes in that presidential race were counted three times and affirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s winGeorgia crowd welcomes Trump’s Marine One arrivalA few thousand rally attendees stood with phone cameras aloft to capture the president’s helicopter touching down at the Dalton airport in northwest Georgia.Trump made the short flight from Dobbins Air Force Base, north of Atlanta.The president hopes to use the rally to boost support for Republicans, especially Rick Jackson’s campaign for governor and Mike Collins’ Senate bid.US has blocked Iran from exporting $25B worth of oil, commander saysThe U.S. has blocked Iran from exporting $25 billion worth of oil through a naval blockade and has helped to freeze $350…
forces in the Middle East said in a video released Friday.Adm. Central Command, outlined efforts to pressure Iran as it continues to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had effectively closed the vital oil shipping corridor after the U.S.
28, pushing up oil global prices.Cooper said U.S. forces are helping ships get through the strait, including 400 merchant vessels over the past week, and helped usher out more than a billion barrels of oil since the war began.He said more than 20 civilian mariners have been killed by Iran’s attacks against commercial shipping since February.Kelly Loeffler makes another appearance at the last rally site of her Senate careerThe Small Business Administration chief was part of Trump’s last trip to Dalton, Georgia, on Jan. senator then, facing a runoff the next day against Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock.
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