A high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is behind the purchase of a historic building just hundreds of feet from the White House, according to a new investigation.
The Philip Qiu and Family Foundation purchased the Securities Building, located approximately 650 feet northeast of the White House grounds, for $8.4 million on July 21, <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/13/exclusive-ccp-intel-official-building-purchase-steps-from-white-house/">according</a> to the Daily Caller. 
The foundation&#8217;s namesake, Philip Qiu, has held multiple positions in Chinese government, security, and organizations linked to the Chinese Communist Party&#8217;s United Front Work Department, the Caller reported. 
“The CCP is like a kind, but firm parent,” Qiu said in 2021, according to the Caller&#8217;s translation of a Chinese announcement. “It has guided our people out of hardship, led China’s sons and daughters to build a new country and is steering us toward great national rejuvenation.”
The purchase has raised national security concerns due to both Qiu&#8217;s background and the building&#8217;s proximity to the White House. Former CIA operations officer Bryan Dean Wright told the Caller that a property in such a location could be used for intelligence collection, including as a listening post or for collecting electronic communications.
Qiu, whose Chinese name is Qiu Feili, began his career as a detective with the Criminal Investigation Team in Shanghai, which is part of Shanghai&#8217;s Public Security Bureau, a subordinate to China&#8217;s Ministry of Public Security. 
The Caller investigation also found that Qiu has held at least three positions in organizations connected to the CCP&#8217;s United Front Work Department, whose activities the House Select Committee on the CCP has described as a combination of influence and intelligence operations.
Among those positions, Qiu has served since 2021 as chairman of the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Foundation (SOCF), which operates within Shanghai&#8217;s United Front system. At a 2021 foundation meeting, Qiu pledged that the organization would carry out Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s orders on overseas Chinese affairs, often referring to the CCP as “our party,” according to the Caller. 
The Philip Qiu and Family Foundation is also connected to the Chinese American Museum in Washington, D.C. (CAMDC), which Qiu co-founded in 2017 with Chen Xiaoping, also known as Neil Chen. Chen previously chaired the SOCF and has held several positions in the Chinese government.
The museum says it is not &#8220;funded, controlled, or influenced by any foreign government,&#8221; but the Caller found that Chinese government entities have co-sponsored at least eight of its programs. Four reportedly received support from religious entities controlled by the United Front Work Department.
Michael Lucci, CEO of the national security advocacy group State Armor, told the Caller that the risks posed by Qiu&#8217;s ownership of the property were &#8220;screamingly obvious&#8221; and urged the federal government to intervene.
At the time of publication, Qiu and the CAMDC had not responded to The Daily Wire’s request for comment.

Chinese Intel Asset Buys Real Estate On White House Doorstep

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WASHINGTON — Karoline Leavitt will leave her role as White House Press Secretary at the end of the month, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday.
&#8220;Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!&#8221; Trump said on Wednesday afternoon.
&#8220;Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections,&#8221; he added.
The president praised Leavitt for her work in his administration, writing: &#8220;Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024. Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office. Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done!&#8221;
Leavitt recently gave birth to her second baby in May, a baby daughter named Vivienne.
&#8220;She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister,&#8221; Leavitt shared at the time. &#8220;We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble.”
In a statement posted to &#8220;X&#8221; on Wendesday, Leavitt said that serving as White House press secretary has been &#8220;the honor and adventure of a lifetime.&#8221;
&#8220;I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for granting me so many extraordinary opportunities, such as working in the West Wing and spending countless hours in the Oval Office, flying around the world and meeting foreign leaders, and traveling across our beautiful country and meeting Americans from all walks of life,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Most of all, I am thankful to the President for entrusting me with the distinct privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium.&#8221;
Leavitt shared that coming back to the White House after the birth of her daughter prompted her to realize that she cannot be &#8220;the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life.&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump has asked me to continue serving as a top advisor to him on the outside, and I will always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party,&#8221; Leavitt added. &#8220;Our country is facing an existential threat from an increasingly extremist Democrat Party that seeks to destroy everything great about America, and I believe it is incumbent upon all of us who care about this country to fight back against that threat. My fight is entering a new phase, but it is far from over.&#8221; 
A number have names have been floated to replace Leavitt in the past. One of those is Tricia McLaughlin, who previously worked for the Department of Homeland Security and is a frequent guest on Fox News. Another rumored possibility is Scott Jennings, known for his take downs on CNN. Leavitt also has a communications team heavy with staff who might be able to step up to the plate: White House Principal Deputy Secretary Anna Kelly, for example, stepped in to fill Leavitt&#8217;s shoes for many of her duties during Leavitt&#8217;s maternity leave.
&#8220;Karoline was the best to do it,&#8221; Trump advisor Alex Brusewitz responded, asked if he&#8217;d consider the role. &#8220;Tough act to follow!!
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

Karoline Leavitt

Karoline Leavitt Stepping Down As Trump Press Secretary

Donald Trump

President Donald Trump on Saturday named White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf as his next White House Counsel, elevating one of the lawyers behind his Supreme Court immunity victory to the West Wing&#8217;s top legal job.
Scharf will replace David Warrington effective September 1, Trump announced on Truth Social, saying Warrington — a Marine veteran who served as general counsel for Trump&#8217;s 2024 campaign — did a &#8220;truly outstanding job&#8221; and is headed to the private sector.
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The promotion caps a rapid rise for Scharf and puts a lawyer with a demonstrated willingness to tell the president &#8220;no&#8221; in charge of the office that vets the administration&#8217;s legal strategy. In a confidential April 2025 memo to Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/15/us/politics/trump-miller-habeas-corpus.html">revealed</a> in June by The New York Times, Scharf argued against a proposal championed by Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to suspend habeas corpus to speed deportations, writing that the denial of habeas rights &#8220;was a key grievance underlying the American Revolution&#8221; and that courts have almost uniformly held only Congress can suspend the writ. A second memo cautioned against invoking the Insurrection Act in response to immigration protests. The administration ultimately did neither.
That counsel evidently cost Scharf nothing with the president. &#8220;I know Will well!&#8221; Trump wrote Saturday, crediting him with representing him &#8220;in numerous cases, including at the Supreme Court, during the Biden Administration&#8217;s corrupt and illegal campaign of Weaponization.&#8221; Scharf joined Trump&#8217;s legal team in October 2023 and worked on his gag order appeals, civil fraud appeal, and the presidential immunity case that produced Trump v. United States.
As staff secretary, Scharf controlled the flow of documents and decisions to the Oval Office and was among the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/06/politics/trump-proximity-to-power-white-house-dg">few aides with walk-in privileges</a> — a fixture at the Resolute Desk during executive order signings. A former federal prosecutor who clerked for two federal appeals court judges, he also helped run the Kavanaugh and Barrett confirmation efforts before joining the campaign.
&#8220;Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart!&#8221; Trump wrote.

Trump Tries To Curb Birthright Citizenship Anew After Court Loss

Lawyer Behind Trump’s Immunity Win Named White House Counsel

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A federal appeals court on Friday blocked further above-ground construction of President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, ruling that the administration cannot move forward with the project without congressional authorization.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit <a href="https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/08/26-5123-2187096.pdf">ruled 2-1</a> that Congress, not the president alone, has authority to approve the ballroom project, siding with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which challenged the construction. The court paused its ruling for two weeks to give the Trump administration time to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court.
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for executive self-help,” the court wrote. 
The ruling, however, does not completely halt all work at the site. The panel allowed below-ground construction to continue, including work related to security infrastructure, while permitting above-ground construction only when strictly necessary to protect those facilities or ensure the safety and structural integrity of the White House complex.
The decision came from a three-judge panel consisting of U.S. Circuit Judges Patricia Millett, Neomi Rao, and Bradley Garcia. Millett, appointed by former President Barack Obama, and Garcia, appointed by former President Joe Biden, formed the majority. Rao, a Trump appointee, dissented.
“Each president is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its executive residence,” Millett and Garcia wrote in their opinion. 
The judges argued that the White House belongs to the American people and that major structural changes require congressional approval. 
“We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for,” the majority wrote.
Rao argued that the courts had overstepped their authority by intervening in a presidential construction project and said Trump had sufficient authority to proceed. 
“The district court seized supervision of construction at the White House, and my colleagues affirm this judicial overreach,” Rao wrote. “Because the injunction is beyond the proper province of the federal courts, construction should be allowed to continue.”
Trump announced plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom as part of a broader effort to expand event space at the White House. Trump has said the ballroom would cost roughly $400 million and would be funded through private donations rather than taxpayer money, though subsequent reporting has raised questions about the extent of public funding for security work associated with the broader project. 
The administration has argued that the ballroom is necessary for both practical and national security reasons, citing the difficulty of hosting large events in temporary structures and the need for additional security capabilities.
Government attorneys have argued that the project includes protections against threats including drones, ballistic missiles, and other attacks targeting the president and White House personnel.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation argued that the administration lacked authority to demolish the East Wing and begin construction without additional approvals.
The White House demolished the East Wing last fall to make way for the new structure, sparking criticism from preservation groups that said the project represented an unprecedented alteration of the historic complex.
The appeals court’s decision leaves the future of the ballroom uncertain as the administration continues to weigh whether to seek intervention from the Supreme Court.

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Trump’s White House Ballroom Plans Just Hit A Major Legal Roadblock

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President Donald Trump on Thursday downplayed a report suggesting he had already settled on Vice President JD Vance as his preferred successor to carry his MAGA movement forward. 
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/06/trump-tells-donors-we-need-elect-jd-vp-weighs-his-future/">The Washington Post</a> reported Thursday that Trump has privately encouraged donors to support Vance&#8217;s future presidential ambitions, citing anonymous sources familiar with the conversations. 
“At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” Trump reportedly told donors during an Oval Office meeting two weeks ago, according to the report. 
The outlet also cited six additional “Trumpworld advisors” who anonymously said they did not believe a Vance endorsement was a done deal.
“Anyone assuming it’s a lock is just getting way ahead of themselves, or just doesn’t know the president very well,” one Trump administration official told The Post. 
Hours later in the Oval Office, The Daily Caller’s Reagan Reese posed the question to Trump directly. 
“No. I heard about it a little while ago. I think he&#8217;s great,” Trump <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2085462419598614610?s=20">said</a> of Vance. “We&#8217;re way too early to even be thinking about that.”  
The Post reported that Trump has grown increasingly impressed with Vance&#8217;s performance as vice president, highlighting his role in brokering the Iran ceasefire that later collapsed, leading a federal task force targeting fraud, and entering the media lion&#8217;s den to promote his book and Catholic conversion.
Vance has not publicly confirmed whether he plans to run for president. Some early polling suggests Vance is the frontrunner, though other potential contenders have gained ground.
After the vice president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio polls the strongest among Republican primary voters, according to the most recent survey data.  A New Hampshire poll released in July showed support for Vance slipping significantly in the Granite State. About 36% of likely GOP primary voters backed Vance, down sharply from 53% in February. Rubio appeared to capitalize on the shift, more than tripling his support from 7% to 26%, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-2028-poll-just-shook-up-both-parties">The Daily Wire reported. </a>
While Vance&#8217;s support has softened in some early-state polling, he continues to lead nationally. The <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2028/national">RealClearPolitics </a>polling average still shows Vance with a commanding 18.2-point national lead over a hypothetical field of Republican rivals, including Rubio, Donald Trump Jr., Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Speculation about Trump&#8217;s eventual endorsement has also been fueled by divisions within the conservative movement over U.S. policy toward Iran. In a Wednesday <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2085148515593064844?s=20">interview</a> with FOX News, Vance denied any daylight with the president over foreign policy. 
“The president runs this administration. He is the very top of the administration. He makes orders. We, of course, have debates and conversations about what exactly we should do. But when the president of the United States makes a decision, we are unified in this administration in carrying out that mission,” Vance said.

Late Senator Lindsey Graham Memorialized In Washington DC

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WASHINGTON — The White House is launching a website dedicated to exposing the fraud that Vice President JD Vance&#8217;s task force has uncovered, The Daily Wire can first report.
The new site, &#8220;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fraud/">The Fraud Ledger</a>,&#8221; will highlight the successes of the &#8220;Task Force to Eliminate Fraud,&#8221; specifically focusing on the three values that the task force solicited from each partner agency: fraud uncovered, fraud stopped, and fraud enforcement.
It is designed to be a &#8220;public record of the fraud, waste, and corruption identified&#8221; by the task force since January 2025.
“President Trump is waging an all-out war on fraud, shutting down billions of dollars in taxpayer theft,&#8221; White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Democrats have refused to stop this epidemic of fraud. The Trump Administration is holding these criminals accountable and ensuring key federal programs remain viable for the Americans they were meant to support.”
<div id="attachment_1152049" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-white-house-launches-fraud-website-to-highlight-successes-of-task-force/vice-president-vance-leads-congressional-roundtable-on-anti-fraud-initiatives" rel="attachment wp-att-1152049"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1152049" class="wp-image-1152049 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2289204245-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2289204245-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2289204245-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2289204245-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/08/GettyImages-2289204245.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;Fraud uncovered&#8221; refers to estimates of total fraud that the agencies uncovered, using data and statistical methods, &#8220;fraud stopped&#8221; refers real dollars per year that were not spent due to the administration&#8217;s actions, and &#8220;fraud enforcement&#8221; refers to the money related to indictments, settlements, or civil monetary penalties.
Since January 2025, the task force has uncovered $229.9 billion, according to the website. The task force has stopped $56.4 billion in annual fraud, and enforced $55.5 billion in fraud through indictments and settlements.
Medicaid fraud deferrals top the list of the task force&#8217;s highest impact anti-fraud actions — according to the new website, the Center for Medicaid Services deferred over $2 billion from California and $500 million from Minnesota.
The Small Business Administration had the most total estimated fraud uncovered, coming in at a whopping $122.9 billion. Health and Human Services followed closely with $96.2 billion in uncovered fraud, and the Department of Labor came next at $7 billion.
The move comes on the heels of Vance&#8217;s latest fraud announcements, made Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Vance shared the latest fraud numbers that his team had uncovered since the task force launched, and he called on Congress to help combat fraud by codifying anti-fraud measures into law.
“The Vice President is taking a whole of government approach to fighting fraud,&#8221; a spokesman for the vice president shared. &#8220;That includes working with Congress to codify common sense anti-fraud measures to ensure that fraudsters and people who take advantage of the American people’s generosity are brought to justice for future generations, not just under the Trump Administration.”

Vice President Vance Discusses Administration’s Fight Against Fraud In Milwaukee

EXCLUSIVE: White House Launches Fraud Website To Highlight Successes Of Task Force

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Trump Administraiton

President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his criticism of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, accusing one of his longtime allies of “choking” after her office dropped criminal charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
In the Oval Office, Trump expressed frustration with Pirro, who was appointed U.S. attorney in part because of her close relationship with the president.
“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella, and people get away with things, and it&#8217;s a disgrace,” Trump told reporters. 
The president was referring to news that broke Friday, when Pirro’s office determined that the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool stemmed from faulty construction rather than vandalism.
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<div>White House reporter Jake Traylor <a href="https://x.com/jake__traylor/status/2084383023164743844?s=20">spotted</a> Pirro arriving at the West Wing following Trump’s remarks.</div>
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The Daily Wire asked the White House whether Pirro’s job was in jeopardy following Trump’s criticism. The administration referred back to the president’s public comments without offering further clarification.
Pirro moved to drop criminal charges against David Hearn, a former U.S. Olympian, whom prosecutors accused of deliberately damaging the pool during a sweeping renovation project for America&#8217;s 250th anniversary. <a href="https://legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/28528042-260731-hearn">In a motion to dismiss the case</a>, the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the District of Columbia blamed “flawed installation” by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings for the damage, admitting that newly produced evidence “undermines the evidentiary basis” for the indictment.
Over the weekend, Trump said he “100%” disagreed with Pirro’s decision in a scathing <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117021210137447022">Truth Social</a> post, and on Monday, he doubled down on his objection while speaking at the White House.
&#8220;The judge was extremely unfriendly to Jeanine and, frankly, I think she choked because the judge was really vicious,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2084348330214387762?s=20">said</a>. &#8220;Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department.&#8221;
“I guess she choked. I don&#8217;t know what the hell happened,” he added. 
It marked a dramatic reversal for Pirro, who had secured a grand jury indictment against the three-time Olympian just weeks earlier, alleging he ripped a piece of sealant from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with his bare hands. Hearn, 67, was facing a felony count of destruction of property following his. June 19 arrest in the nation’s capital, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-case-just-took-a-turn-for-an-ex-olympian">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported.
Attorneys for Hearn <a href="https://x.com/ryanjreilly/status/2072768984160534736?s=20">said</a> their client was innocent and that the grand jury charges were “outrageous and should be alarming to every American.”
“This was a deliberate act to damage the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall that members of the National Park Service actually have worked hard to restore,” Pirro said at a July 2 press conference. “We can state and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he caused damage, and that damage is over $1,000.”
On June 19, Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, was on a bike ride when he stopped to see the Reflecting Pool after viral reports of algae in the water, describing himself to ABC News as a “curious, concerned citizen<a href="https://abcnews.com/Politics/olympian-arrested-reflecting-pool-damage/story?id=134078925%5C%5C" target="_blank" rel="noopener">.</a>” 
That’s when U.S. Park Police warned, then arrested, the former Olympian after he touched a piece of blue coating. Prosecutors say he later tore two square feet of sealant from the bottom of the pool, an account Hearn denies.
“I saw a piece of this loose end of this blue coating … I reached out and touched the end of that piece that was loose but still attached to the bottom,” Hearn told ABC News. “I was able to reach out and touch the edge that was still attached at the bottom and handled it a little bit.”
At the time, federal prosecutors painted a different picture of the incident. 
“Our evidence further shows that the National Park Service employees observed Hearn actually forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands,” Pirro said in July, adding that witnesses described Hearn’s behavior as “belligerent” and “disrespectful.”
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The dismissal of the case marks a setback for Trump, who has repeatedly railed against damage and negative publicity surrounding iconic landmarks he has pushed to restore, calling alleged vandals “SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE!”
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Man Suspected Of 2012 Benghazi Attack In Libya Is In US Custody

Pirro Arrives At White House After Trump Says She ‘Choked,’ ‘Folded Like an Umbrella’

David Heard

DC Attorney

Jeanine Pirro

Lincoln Memorial

monuments

Reflecting Pool

Vandalism

Dr. Ashish Jha the former White House COVID 19 Response Coordinator now <a href="https://x.com/joshrogin/status/2083955507455279595?s=46">says</a> the origin of the coronavirus pandemic was likely a lab leak from Wuhan than a natural outbreak.
Jha made the comments recently and described how his thinking has shifted. “This is going to surprise some people,” he said. “When I went into the White House, my view was this was almost surely a natural outbreak, maybe a lab leak. Based on information I’ve learned and based on information I’ve seen, I have come to conclude it is more likely to have been a lab leak … We still need transparency and accountability on this.”
Jha was very wary of the limits of what is known. He said that no one in the United States could know for sure, and that the only people who do know for sure are the officials in China who have been less than forthcoming with the information. Transparency and accountability remain necessary, he repeated.
The comments emerge as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-hero-complex-that-held-america-hostage?author=Ben+Shapiro&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=The+Hero+Complex+That+Held+America+Hostage">details</a> from Anthony Fauci&#8217;s personal diary have drawn attention. Those private writings, released by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), include an entry from as early as January 26, 2020, in which Fauci recorded that the virus almost certainly did not come from a wet market — a theory floated early on in the pandemic. The diary shows Fauci privately treated a laboratory connection as the more plausible explanation, despite his public insistence on a natural origin.
Jha presented his conclusion as his current best judgment after reviewing the information available to him. He did not claim final proof. The gap between early public emphasis on a natural spillover and the private assessments now coming to light keeps attention on how the origins question was handled even from the very beginning.
Both Jha&#8217;s comments and the diary entries underline the same basic problem: without fuller access to data and records from the relevant laboratories and early outbreak sites in Wuhan definitive answers stay incomplete.
The diary entries from Fauci show that private doubts about the wet market explanation existed at high levels from the first weeks of 2020. Jha has now put a similar assessment on the public record years later. Full answers still depend on greater transparency from the relevant officials in China.

Fauci Pleads The Fifth Amendment In Senate Covid Hearing

Biden COVID Czar Finally Admits Virus Came From Chinese Lab

Anthony Fauci

Ashish Jha

COVID-19

Fauci hearing

Pandemic

Dr. Anthony Fauci recommended White House adviser Stephen Miller move into a hotel for two weeks after his wife, Katie Miller, tested positive for COVID-19 while 10 weeks pregnant, according to newly released diary entries.
The entries were released Saturday by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who <a href="https://www.paul.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026.07.24_Tonys-Diary-Package.pdf">obtained</a> them during his investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and gain-of-function research ahead of Fauci&#8217;s planned testimony on Capitol Hill in the coming week.
&#8220;COVID-19 hits the White House!!&#8221; Fauci wrote on May 8, 2020. &#8220;Yesterday, it was revealed that the personal valet of the POTUS tested positive for Sars-CoV-2. However, today it was noted that Katie Miller tested positive. She was negative yesterday and positive X2 today!!!&#8221;
&#8220;She had sxs (sic) in the Sit room yesterday and sat next to Steve Hahn and behind Azar,&#8221; Fauci continued, listing a number of officials who had all attended the same briefing. &#8220;I was on the other side of the room from her, but she was coughing in the room. She sat next to Olivia Troye when she was coughing and, in the afternoon, yesterday, Olivia sat right next to me in the Ward Room of the West Wing for 45 minutes. In the room were Deb Birx, Steve Hahn, Bob Redfield, Tyler Ann, Seema Verma.&#8221;
Fauci went on to note that White House adviser Stephen Miller had tested negative even after his wife had tested positive — a relief for the White House chief medical adviser because he&#8217;d spent some time in close proximity to Miller.
&#8220;I spent much time on phone this evening advising Katie and Steve Miller as to what they should do,&#8221; Fauci continued. &#8220;She is 10 weeks pregnant. I advised that Steve must move out of the house into a hotel; he still has to self-isolate for 14 days. If he stays in the house, whether or not he gets infected, he still must self-isolate for 14 days after Katies (sic) tests negative. His clock will start after he separates from Katie and so he should start the clock now.&#8221;
Fauci explained that because he was a &#8220;low risk exposure,&#8221; he self-imposed a &#8220;modified quarantine&#8221; in which he would &#8220;get tested every day, would wear a mask ontinually (sic), and would spend most of my time either alone in my home office or alone in my NIH office and would go to White House or Congress with precautions of universal mask wearing and phycial (sic) distancing.&#8221;
He also noted that he was monitoring Katie Miller via phone, noting that she&#8217;d been very anxious about her health and that of her unborn child.
&#8220;She is very anxious about getting very ill since she is 10 weeks pregnant. Tonight she had an anxiety reaction. I calmed her over the phone. Her pulse Ox is fine and she is afebrile,&#8221; he wrote.
His other main concern was the fact that some of those who&#8217;d been seated close to Katie were not doing enough to mitigate the potential spread of the virus.
&#8220;Marc Short and others close to Katie really should do some sort of quarantine (even if modified), but they are not even wearing masks. Not a good metric,&#8221; he complained.

Stephen Miller

Fauci Advised Stephen Miller To Leave His Pregnant Wife Alone With COVID, Get A Hotel

Alex Azar

COVID

Dr. Deborah Birx

Health

Media

Rand Paul

Robert Redfield

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) lashed out at White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday after she said the president’s &#8220;patience is running out&#8221; over the failure to pass the SAVE America Act.
The back-and-forth began with a question from The Daily Caller&#8217;s Reagan Reese during the White House briefing.
“Look, the president spoke about this directly yesterday. His patience is running out. He wants to see as much of the SAVE America [Act] passed as possible by the August recess,” Leavitt said to reporters. “The American people elected overwhelmingly Republicans to lead, not just this White House, but also the House and the Senate. The House did its job. The Senate needs to do its job, too.”
A few miles away on Capitol Hill, Thune fired back, telling the White House to pick up the phone and whip the votes. 
&#8220;Well, maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes. Right? It’s 50 around here. And, so, instead of pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats,” Thune <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2080339641119473680?s=20">told</a> reporters in the halls of the Senate Thursday.
“And if there are Republicans that they think are gettable, get on the phone,” he added. “Let’s get them to ‘yes.’&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
THUNE: &#8220;Well, maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes. Right? It’s 50 around here. And, so, instead of pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats. And if… <a href="https://t.co/lRL2Yl0Pd9">https://t.co/lRL2Yl0Pd9</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2080339641119473680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
It’s the latest escalation after Trump on Wednesday ramped up his pressure campaign against Thune, urging supporters to flood his office with calls demanding action on the popular election security legislation. 
“We have to pass the SAVE America Act to defend American elections. And I have to say, Mike Johnson and Congress have done a great job, but we’re having a hard time in the Senate,” Trump said at a <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2080034029487685876?s=20">rally</a> in Georgia. “It’s like the Senate is a place where you send things when you want them to die.” 
“We’re not going to take this any longer … I’m trying to be nice,” Trump added. “Everybody call John Thune at the Senate. He’s the leader of the Republican party, and tell him to get this stuff approved!”
Trump also renewed his call to eliminate the filibuster, arguing Democrats would quickly abolish the 60-vote threshold themselves if they regain power.
“The Democrats are going to terminate the filibuster as soon as they have a chance, and then they’re going to approve Puerto Rico and D.C. as a state. They got four more senators. They’re going to end up with 12 more congressmen. They’re going to get like 40 electoral votes,” the president said. 
Trump’s remarks came hours after the House passed a third version of the election integrity measure by attaching it to the GOP-backed Stop Insider Trading Act, legislation that would ban members of Congress from buying and selling stocks.
The combined bill passed 232-198, with 13 Democrats joining Republicans to advance the measure, marking the first congressional stock-trading ban to receive a House floor vote, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-turns-up-heat-on-thune-over-save-act?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Turns+Up+Heat+On+Thune+Over+SAVE+Act">reported</a>. 
Frustration with Thune isn’t limited to the White House. House Republicans who have repeatedly passed the legislation have also grown increasingly vocal about the Senate’s inaction.
“If John Thune has shown that he does not want to put the SAVE America Act on the Senate floor, he should step aside,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) <a href="https://x.com/RepOgles/status/2080028930518495258?s=20">said</a> on social media. “There are plenty of other options in the Senate capable of securing our elections as Majority Leader.”

John Thune

John Thune Lashes Out At Karoline Leavitt After She Says ‘Patience Is Wearing Thin’

Elections

Republicans

SAVE Act

SAVE America Act

Trump

U.S. Senate

The White House came to the defense of WNBA star Sophie Cunningham Thursday after the Indiana Fever guard faced criticism for saying that men should not compete in women’s sports or share women’s locker rooms.
When asked about the issue by Daily Wire White House Correspondent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/mary-margaret-olohan">Mary Margaret Olohan</a>, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump is aware of Cunningham’s comments and shares her concerns about protecting female athletes.
“I don’t believe he has reached out to her,” Leavitt said when asked whether Trump had contacted Cunningham. “I know he is following the story.”
Leavitt said the backlash against Cunningham demonstrated what she described as a disconnect between leftist activists and the broader American public. 
“This is something the president feels strongly about as well, and the American people do too,” Leavitt said. “That men should not be playing in women’s sports. It’s completely ludicrous that anyone could support that.”
“It’s even more ludicrous that you do have Sophie Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth that men shouldn’t play in women’s sports,” she continued.
Leavitt called the criticism Cunningham has received “astonishing” and argued that the administration’s position reflects widespread public opinion.
“They are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue, which again is an 80-20 issue,” Leavitt said. “It’s common sense. It’s rooted in basic biological fact that men should not be competing against women on playing fields across the country.”
Cunningham, who has become one of the WNBA’s most recognizable players since joining the Indiana Fever, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-breaks-with-league-on-explosive-issue">said</a> in an interview with ESPN earlier this week that she felt compelled to speak out about biological differences in sports despite backlash from critics who accused her of being anti-transgender. 
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham said. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest.”
Cunningham said her concern was protecting female athletes, particularly young girls. “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” she said.
The comments drew criticism online, with some labeling the Missouri native as a conservative or “MAGA Barbie,” a characterization Cunningham rejected. “I really am right in the middle [politically],” Cunningham said, adding that she agrees and disagrees with positions on both sides of the political spectrum.
Cunningham’s comments come as the WNBA and its players’ union have taken a different position on transgender inclusion. The WNBA Players Association has previously voiced opposition to restrictions on transgender participation in sports and pledged support for transgender athletes.
The Fever guard has also drawn attention in recent weeks for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-sophie-cunningham-wont-diss-trump-after-white-house-meme">refusing to join criticism</a> of President Trump after the White House used a viral clip of her pointing at an opponent during a game as a social media meme.
When asked about the White House using the clip, Cunningham said she viewed it as part of a broader internet trend. “Everyone around the world is posting it, every company has done it,” Cunningham said. “They’re just the ones also to get on board and I don’t really think twice about it.”

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Karoline Leavitt Rips Leftist Backlash To Sophie Cunningham’s Trans Sports Comments

Indiana

LGBTQ

Sophie Cunningham

The Daily Wire

Transgender

Transgender Athletes

WNBA

Women's sports

WATCH LIVE: Karoline Leavitt Takes Questions Ahead Of Trump’s Rescheduled WHCD

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