Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, has been picked to lead the Food and Drug Administration, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday. Overton is a medical doctor and deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council who has worked on several of Trump’s second-term health initiatives. She has become a trusted administration figure and a champion of the Republican president’s goals.
If confirmed by the Senate, Overton will have to balance a raft of competing priorities, including Trump’s fixations, the anti-regulatory interests of traditional Republicans and the anti-corporate posture of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Those challenges dogged the tenure of the previous FDA head, Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned in May.
Trump said he’s delaying the 50% U.S. tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports. The countries reached a deal less than two hours before the sanctions were to go into effect on Tuesday, buying time for more negotiations and avoiding, for now, another strain in already tense relations.
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Longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes to retire, citing differences with Pentagon leadership
Max D. Lederer Jr. is ending a decades-long career with the military newspaper as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon moves to exert editorial control and eliminate what it asserts are “woke distractions.”
Lederer made the announcement in a memo to staff and an interview with Stars and Stripes. In the memo, seen by AP, he said it had “become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization.”
The announcement comes less than four months after the Pentagon fired the paper’s ombudsman, whose job was to safeguard editorial independence. The news outlet is partly funded by the Defense Department but has a legacy of independence from military and government leadership.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Stars and Stripes has recently been at the forefront of some reporting on conditions for sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln and concerns for their mental health during its long deployment — concerns that Trump has downplayed.
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Missouri court allows new Trump-backed US House districts be used in November election
A Missouri judge has allowed new U.S. House districts backed by the president to be used in the November elections, rejecting a bid to put the Republican-friendly districts to a statewide vote.
Wednesday’s ruling by Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green is a victory for Republicans seeking to hold on to their slim majority in the House, but the court decision is likely to be appealed.
Missouri’s new districts already were used in the August primaries. That same day Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition with thousands of signatures seeking to force a November referendum on the map. Hoskins asserted that Missouri’s Constitution does not allow a referendum on congressional redistricting.
The judge agreed with Hoskins.
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Trump says he will attend GOP’s national midterm convention
In a social media post, the president said he plans to attend the Republicans’ first-ever national convention ahead of the midterm elections, an unusual event aimed at boosting turnout in races.
“I will be with you both nights, and rarin’ to go,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Trump used his characteristic hyperbole to build hype around the event, which will be hosted in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10. He teased it as “THE GREATEST RALLY OF THEM ALL.”
“It will be like nothing else,” he said. “The Music, Excitement, and Importance of this Evening will be at levels never seen at a Convention or Political Event.”
US national debt hits $40 trillion
The national debt surpassed a record $40 trillion on Wednesday, a staggering milestone as defense costs, social programs like Social Security and Medicare and interest on the burgeoning deficit make up an enormous share of federal spending.
The milestone figure was recorded just five months after the U.S. hit a record $39 trillion debt in March. It reached $38 trillion five months before that, in October.
The unprecedented $40 trillion figure highlights competing administration priorities, from boosting the defense spending that the U.S. relies on to carry out Trump’s almost-6-month-old Iran war to lowering the cost of gas and groceries.
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New CDC director acknowledges agency troubles, including ‘zombie’ programs
Dr. Erica Schwartz, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is promising to advocate for the agency while addressing staff burnout and understaffing issues.
In her remarks to staff, Schwartz referenced an AP story this week about CDC programs that have congressional appropriations but functionally are dead or nearly dead because the CDC staffers who did the work were laid off by Trump’s administration or remain on leave.
She did not say exactly what she will do about these dead, or “zombie,” programs and about staffers who feel exhausted and overloaded but said she will meet with CDC staffers to learn more about the situation and what can be done.
Trump tells Congress to pass pro-crypto law — but isn’t waiting to act
At a White House crypto conference Wednesday, Trump urged passage of the Clarity Act before yielding the floor to Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Mike Selig, who vowed to “use every tool available” to advance Trump’s agenda.
Selig’s comments came ahead of a CFTC meeting Thursday examining ways the agency can use its existing authority to ease crypto rules. A day earlier, other securities regulators proposed rules, making it easier for crypto to raise money from the public.
Since the self-styled “crypto president” was reelected last year, his administration has also disbanded a Justice Department crypto enforcement unit and pulled back from prosecutions.
The shift comes as Trump’s latest financial disclosure reported he took in more than $1.4 billion in crypto-related income last year.
Trump said he’d welcome a data center. Many Americans aren’t so sure
“If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in, an AI plant or a data center,” the president told reporters in the White House. “I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid are just enormous.”
Trump’s review is more optimistic than many Americans, who have pushed back against data centers in their backyard over concerns with the buildings’ use of water, electricity or hefty tax breaks for tech companies. The large edifices — often used for artificial intelligence and cloud computing — have stirred a bipartisan resentment, which Trump nodded toward Wednesday.
“Maybe it can use a little public relations help,” he said, adding that a solution is for companies to produce their own electricity.
US to spend more than $19M to counter Chinese seabed mining, fishing in international waters
The Trump administration has notified Congress of its plans to spend more than $19 million to assist Pacific Island and other countries in countering Chinese attempts to dominate seabed mineral mining as well as crack down on unregulated Chinese fishing in waters far from China.
The State Department told lawmakers this week in separate notices that $14 million would fund ocean mapping and seabed exploration to push back against “aggressive and corrupt practices” by China in 12 Pacific island nations. Another $5.2 million will assist seven countries in boosting inspections of Chinese-flagged fishing vessels that frequently use their ports.
The notices, dated Monday, were obtained by The Associated Press.
The programs are part of a broader effort by the administration to counter China’s growing global influence and power projection.
Trump complains rates are ‘artificially high’
The president criticized a recent spike in borrowing costs and said the U.S. should have lower rates because the economy is doing well, contradicting financial analysts who say steady growth is a reason rates are rising.
“We have interest rates that are artificial — they’re actually artificially high,” Trump said. “When our country is strong, interest rates should go down. When our country is weak, frankly, they should go up.”
Interest rates on long-term Treasury debt have risen steadily for weeks to multiyear highs, lifting mortgage rates and other borrowing costs. The Treasury Department announced steps Wednesday to push rates lower.
Wall Street analysts say borrowing costs have advanced because of expectations that steady economic growth will keep inflation elevated. Most economists also blame ongoing large budget deficits and heavy borrowing by leading tech companies to build AI infrastructure.
Trump reduced joint US-South Korea military exercises
Trump also said he gave the order because he wasn’t happy with South Korea’s refusal to support him over Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“I didn’t like the fact that we were doing these massive military exercises really against North Korea,” Trump said. He added that “I’m friendly with him,” meaning North Korean leader Kim.
Trump said he hadn’t seen anything happening from North Korea “for certainly two and a half years.” The country appears to have slowed its pace of test firing rockets and ballistic missiles in the region in recent years.
“So, I felt that to do a massive, we were doing a massive war exercise, I thought that was very insulting to somebody that, frankly, has been, during my term at least, very well behaved,” Trump said.
Trump says ‘we have things we could sanction’ on Iran
“We have very draconian sanctions and we’ll see what happens,” the president said, without providing details.
Trump also said, “A lot of boats are coming through” the Strait of Hormuz while also acknowledging, “That may slow down a little bit at some point.”
Attempting to shrug off oil prices that have remained high, the president said they’d not reached $350 a barrel. He didn’t say who had suggested they might reach such a catastrophically high price.
Instead, Trump said that ongoing disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz had left the world looking for alternatives. He even offered, “I think the Hormuz Strait’s not going to be as important as it was in the past.”
Before the war, a fifth of the world’s traded oil typically flowed through the strait every day.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer-turned-enemy, says the president will appear on his radio show
Cohen and 77 WABC, the radio network where he hosts a new talk show, confirmed Wednesday that Trump will appear as a guest on the program this week after MS NOW first reported it.
Cohen, Trump’s longtime attorney who later testified against him in a hush money case, seems to have mended fences with the president recently.
Cohen has since criticized prosecutors in the case and said the two have begun to reconcile.
He said in a post on the social platform X that the interview would air during the evening on Thursday and Sunday.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump hosts crypto leaders
The president is holding court on Wednesday with several cryptocurrency and finance leaders for an event on digital assets.
The meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House coincides with one held by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Innovation Advisory Committee, which focuses on matters of technology and finance.
The president kicked off the meeting by listing his administration’s accomplishments on the issue.
“We’re ensuring that America remains the undisputed leader, not only in Bitcoin and crypto but also technologies like prediction markets, artificial intelligence, and much more,” Trump said.
An alarmed bond market gets the Trump administration to act again
Normally quiet, the bond market can occasionally send warning signals loud enough to hit stock markets worldwide and even grab the attention of U.S. presidents and other world leaders.
After the bond market’s alarm bells rose in volume throughout the summer in the form of higher yields, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday a move that could help calm it down.
The U.S. Treasury Department said it will more than double the amount of U.S. government bonds it will buy back. And the move worked to lower longer-term yields, for now at least.
The stakes are high because high yields drag on economies and bring downward pressure on stock markets.
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Trump’s White House renovations don’t stop at driveway’s edge
Trump’s construction tour also revealed that he has replaced the walkway from the diplomatic entrance to the White House and a connecting portion of the asphalt driveway around the South Lawn with white granite.
He asserted that asphalt is “not appropriate for a great house, or a great place like the White House.”
“One thing I know how to do is build,” Trump said.
Clinton’s birthday expands the octogenarian president’s club
Clinton was the last of three baby boomer presidents born within 66 days of each other in 1946. But he was the first to reach the Oval Office, elected in 1992 at the age of 46.
Trump turned 80 on June 14, followed by George W. Bush on July 6. Joe Biden, the only president from the Silent Generation, is 83.
It’s the oldest group of living U.S. presidents ever, with Barack Obama as the only one under 80 — and even the 44th president has reached Medicare eligibility age. He turned 65 earlier this month.
Clinton has slowed down in recent years, more than a decade after major heart surgery that led him to adopt a mostly vegan diet.
At the 2024 Democratic convention, he told delegates, “I have no idea how many more of these I’ll be able to come to.”
Bill Clinton gets birthday wishes as he turns 80
The 42nd president is celebrating a milestone birthday Wednesday.
Hillary Clinton, the former presidential nominee, secretary of state and first lady, led birthday greetings for her husband.
“Happy birthday, dear Bill. Eighty years in to your extraordinary life, I feel very lucky to have spent over 50 of them with you,” she posted on social media. “Here’s to more dancing, talking, and laughing together in the years to come.”
The George and Barbara Bush Foundation noted Clinton and former President George H.W. Bush’s “meaningful friendship … built after their time in office — a friendship grounded in mutual respect, service and a shared commitment to helping others.”
Clinton defeated the elder Bush in 1992 but came to see him as a mentor and sort of father figure. Bush died in 2018.
‘No serious dispute’ that Comey’s seashell post could be read as a Trump threat, prosecutors say
The Justice Department is defending its prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey and says there’s “no serious dispute” that a social media post of seashells he made could be understood as a threat against Trump.
Prosecutors also called into question late Tuesday Comey’s account that he found the seashells in the numerical arrangement “86 47” while walking on a North Carolina beach. Trump is the 47th president.
Prosecutors say Comey intended a physical threat or knew that the number 86 could suggest violence. Comey’s legal team calls it a vindictive prosecution and says Comey’s post didn’t amount to a true threat.
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Trump picks Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, to lead FDA
Overton is a deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and a trusted figure in the administration. She has worked on several of Trump’s health initiatives.
But the new Food and Drug Administration commissioner will face challenges balancing Trump’s priorities, traditional Republican interests, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-corporate stance. Overton will need Senate confirmation and face questions from the Senate health committee.
The previous FDA head, Dr. Marty Makary, resigned in May, leaving unfinished projects like work on ultra-processed foods, antidepressants, and COVID-19 shots.
Referring to a “Dr. Heidi” in a Truth Social post, Trump called Overton a smart and respected “rockstar” who would deliver on his priorities of faster cures, innovation, lower drug prices and more wins for Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement.
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Trump walks and waxes on white granite and grass
It was planned as a private event, but the president decided otherwise. He wanted the reporters to see him sign a massive stone, which would become part of the new helipad under construction.
So, a gaggle of reporters tailed Trump outside the White House as he noted the prior state of disrepair and now, “look at the columns, how perfect they are.” As for the grass, which he said, “has life like humans have life,” it will now “look so beautiful.” And the white granite, which is a “powerful stone” that “you’ll never see a crack in.”
Trump came to a stop, flanked by construction workers in hi-vis vests, hard hats, and sunglasses, who stood silently as the president complimented them and answered a few questions from reporters about the day’s news. The president signed the stone in sweeping strokes.
“I hope you liked it,” he told the assembled reporters.
Trump says underground portion of ballroom will be 5 stories deep
Trump complained that the lawsuit against his White House ballroom was “very unfortunate” because the filings in the case have made public details that might have been kept secret.
But Trump has also been talking about components of the portion of the ballroom that will be underground. And he has taken to referring to the structure as a “military complex” instead of a ballroom.
Trump said during the press tour that the part of the ballroom will be five stories deep underground. The precise depth of some structures, like the ballroom, is usually treated as a closely guarded secret.
Trump said he may reopen negotiations with Iran ‘at some point’
When asked by a reporter at the White House on Wednesday when he would plan to resume talks with Iran, Trump said, “Right now, I think the situation is so good, but maybe at some point.”
He reiterated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon but didn’t offer any other details on his thinking.
Trump says he’s going to meet with North Korea’s leader
“Yeah, I will be,” Trump said to reporters on Wednesday when asked if he will meet with Kim Jong Un this year.
The president wouldn’t answer a question about whether he is exchanging letters with Kim but said he gets along with him.
Trump didn’t include any other details about a potential meeting.
He met with Kim several times during his first term and said that they “fell in love” while exchanging letters that he described as “excellent” and “beautiful.”
Over the weekend, he called for the Pentagon to scale back annual joint
Trump praises deal to stave off Canada tariffs
The U.S. president, after last-minute negotiations with the Canadian government, said the talks yielded a “very fair deal for both” sides.
“Our farmers are going to be thrilled, our manufacturers are going to be thrilled,” Trump said in an impromptu gaggle during a tour of South Lawn construction.
Trump noted that the agreement is all subject to the “finalization of documents” and that the tariffs, scheduled to go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, were paused for three days to allow for that.
Trump also said he had a “very good conversation” with Carney, with whom he has clashed in the past.
Trump hopes Supreme Court sides with him on White House ballroom
Trump said, “I can’t imagine” the high court would rule against the ballroom he’s building after he was asked about a continuing court fight to block it.
Trump criticized the lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which seeks to halt construction until Congress approves the project.
A federal appeals court panel ruled Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build the ballroom and that the work should be halted until Congress can weigh in.
The Trump administration argues that previous presidents made changes to the historic property and that Trump doesn’t need permission from Congress.
The Supreme Court has not yet announced whether it will hear the president’s appeal.
“Hopefully we’ll do very well,” with the justices, Trump said.
Norman says Senate no place for ‘training on the job’ after Graham’s misstep
Asked by reporters to respond to Graham’s stumble over the South China Sea question, Rep. Ralph Norman — her opponent in next week’s GOP runoff — said her lack of experience was apparent.
“You need to get fully versed in what issues you’re going to be dealing with,” he said.
Graham said “I’m not that informed on national security” — one of her late brother Lindsey Graham’s signature issues — when asked a question about Taiwan in their debate on Tuesday.
Asked afterward if she wanted to try again, she doubled down, saying she’s more focused on South Carolinians’ everyday concerns.
“They’re worried about their pocketbooks more than they’re worried about the South China Sea, quite honestly,” Graham said. “So that’s going to be my biggest focus.”
Trump takes the press on a tour of helipad
The White House suddenly summoned the press corps Wednesday morning for a surprise look at the helipad being constructed on the South Lawn.
“We are building a great heliport,” Trump said.
The president showed off the “flawless granite” and boasted of his construction and real estate acumen.
Construction continues on a helipad on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The helipad has been under construction for several weeks. It is being built because the new helicopters used as Marine One are so powerful that they can rip out the grass.
The president showed off the landing pad around the same that he was supposed to have a “policy meeting,” according to the schedule released by the White House.
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