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Karoline Leavitt’s maternity cover is revealed
This feels like a quiet policy shift.

Welcome to the latest installment of Washington Secrets, your user guide to the capital’s politics. Today, we have the juice on who will stand in for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt when she goes on maternity leave.

President Donald Trump will lose his “machine gun lips” in May when Karoline Leavitt, his press secretary, goes on maternity leave, vacating the lectern while she has her second baby.

The result is rampant speculation about who might replace one of Trump’s most effective officials.

Tricia McLaughlin, the glamorous and punchy spokeswoman at the Department of Homeland Security, has frequently been cited by administration officials as the best equipped to stand in. Her Fox News appearances have won rave reviews, and she has, after all, been well and truly tested in recent weeks amid a series of crises.

But Secrets can reveal that Leavitt will not have a stand-in. Instead, her role will be covered by a rolling cast of big hitters.

“Marco [Rubio] will get up,” she told Secrets in the comfort of her White House office, where a log fire burned against the winter cold. “So too will the Vice President. There will be special guests.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are two of the biggest names in an administration built of cabinet secretaries picked in part for their prowess on television. Any appearances they make will trigger comparisons and more intrigue about which will emerge as the strongest contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.

Secrets will leave headlines about 2028 auditions to others. But that it will take such important figures to fill in is a reminder of how the youngest press secretary in history — Leavitt is still only 28 — has been one of the breakout stars of the Trump administration.

“She is so impressive,” cooed one first-time visitor to the Briefing Room on Tuesday. “And you could see her face toughen when she got a question she didn’t like.”

Minutes earlier, Leavitt had ended the briefing by rolling through a list of the administration’s achievements after being asked one time too many about ties between Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Jeffrey Epstein.

Her take-no-prisoners approach made her an indispensable figure during the last months of the election campaign.

She famously managed only four days of maternity leave when she had her first baby, named Niko, in July 2024, hurrying back on to the airwaves after the attempted assassination of Trump at a rally …

Republicans in lockstep behind Trump immigration crackdown as independent support shrinks, poll finds
Who's accountable for the results?

Republicans remain firmly behind President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown even as support among independents declines and more Americans say he has "gone too far," according to a new poll.
The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released the findings on Thursday, showing that roughly half of Republicans say Trump’s actions are "about right," and another quarter believe he hasn’t gone far enough.
The survey found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults believe Trump has crossed the line in sending federal immigration agents into American cities, including nearly 9 in 10 Democrats and about 7 in 10 independents. Only about one-quarter of Republicans agree.
The poll was conducted before Trump’s border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday that a federal immigration surge in Minnesota would conclude. Federal authorities have previously said the immigration sweeps focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area have led to the arrest of more than 4,000 people.
LEAVITT SAYS TRUMP WILL NOT ‘WAVER’ ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN DESPITE DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH
Trump’s overall approval on immigration stands at 38%, largely unchanged since January despite weeks of unrest tied to federal enforcement operations, including high-profile clashes in Minneapolis.
Trump’s standing with independents, however, appears to be eroding, according to the poll.
Approval among independents dropped from 37% in March 2025 to 23% in the new poll, with about 6 in 10 independents now saying Trump has gone too far in deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally — up from 46% in April.
MORE THAN HALF OF VOTERS THINK DHS SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM SHOULD BE REMOVED: POLL
The partisan divide is especially sharp when it comes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults have a favorable view of ICE overall. Roughly 7 in 10 Republicans view the agency favorably, compared to just 2 in 10 independents and 1 in 10 Democrats.
The poll also suggests the GOP’s long-held advantage on immigration may be narrowing.
In October, Republicans held a 13-point edge over Democrats on which party Americans trusted more to handle immigration. In the latest survey, that gap has shrunk to just 4 points, with about 3 in 10 Americans favoring each party and another 3 in 10 saying neither would do a better job.
Trump’s overall job approval stands at 36%, slightly down from the start of his second term. His ratings on the economy and foreign policy remain similar and largely unchanged in recent months.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

GOP senator, Minnesota AG clash at Capitol Hill hearing: 'Sit there and smirk, it's sick'
Every delay has consequences.

A Republican senator accused Minnesota’s attorney general of flashing a "despicable" smirk Thursday following a tense exchange at a hearing on Capitol Hill, — a reaction the Democrat in turn described as a "nice theatrical performance." 
Tensions escalated at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs oversight hearing after Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., alleged Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was encouraging unrest in Minnesota, which has been rocked by recent anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests and the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. 
"Were you ever concerned about encouraging — I guess, people that support you — to go out and put themselves into harm's way by impeding and obstructing a legal law enforcement action. Did that ever concern you?" Johnson asked Ellison. 
"Sir, that never happened. We [at] all times said if you want to protest, protest peacefully, protest safely. But you'll never find me being against the First Amendment. I'll always be for the First Amendment," Ellison responded.
DEM REP LABELS FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS 'THUGS' IN TENSE HEARING
Johnson then said, "I can't imagine encouraging somebody that supported me politically to go and put themselves into harm's way." 
"Their vehicles have been rammed by some of these peaceful protesters, probably the trained activists. They've had rocks thrown at their vehicles. I can't imagine encouraging people ‘put yourself in harm's way, get out there and record that,’" Johnson said about anti-ICE sentiment. 
"I, as a government official would have said, back off, let us work with ICE. Let's cooperate with them. Let's see if we can de-escalate this. But, attorney general, you did the exact opposite. And two people are dead because you encouraged them to put themselves into harm's way, and now you're exploiting those two martyrs. That was a tragedy. It never should have happened," he continued. 
HOMAN ANNOUNCES OPERATION METRO SURGE TO CONCLUDE IN MINNESOTA
"So now you're an ICE officer, you're doing enforcement action. You've got a team behind you trying to protect you. You've got all these trained activists behind you, is there any wonder... a tragedy was going to happen, and you encouraged it. And you ought to feel damn guilty about it," Johnson concluded.
He then told Ellison, "Yeah. Sit there and smirk. Smirk. It’s sick. It is despicable." 
"Are you asking me for comment, Senator?" Ellison said. "Because everything you said was untrue. It was a nice theatrical performance, but it was all lies." 

James Boasberg orders Trump to return over 100 Venezuelans deported under Alien Enemies Act
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.

A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump must return more than 100 Venezuelans deported to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act last spring.

“The Court will now order the Government to facilitate the return from third countries of those Plaintiffs who so desire,” Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in court filings. “It will also permit other Plaintiffs to file their habeas supplements from
abroad.”

Boasberg’s ruling stems from a separate December decision that found probable cause that the Trump administration violated the due process rights of more than 100 Venezuelans illegally in the country, whom the administration targeted as being suspected members of the violent Tren de Aragua transnational cartel.

The deportees were initially sent to the El Salvadoran prison facility known as CECOT, before they were later transferred back to Venezuela in a prisoner swap.

The Trump administration has already said it would appeal any decision granting the return or access to legal remedies of the deported Venezuelan group, arguing in part that the situation in Venezuela has changed dramatically since the Jan. 3 operation to capture and arrest the country’s former dictator, Nicolas Maduro.

If the men deported do not want to return to the United States, they can file petitions to conduct the proceedings remotely.

The development marks a critical blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to deport 137 Venezuelan men who were flown last year to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center without advance notice or court hearings.

The Trump administration is expected to appeal.

JUDGE SAYS ABREGO GARCIA SUPREME COURT RULING MAY SHAPE VENEZUELAN DEPORTATION CASE

Boasberg hinted at his directive during a Monday hearing, suggesting that the possible remedy in this case could mirror that of the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was also ordered by federal courts to be returned from El Salvador after it was determined that an immigration judge in 2019 deemed him eligible for deportation, but not to El Salvador, his country of origin.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump foe in line to profit from Russia sanctions
This feels like a quiet policy shift.

Welcome to the latest installment of Washington Secrets, your user guide to the capital’s politics. Today, Secrets takes an exclusive look at one of the likely big winners of Donald Trump’s Russian oil sanctions

President Donald Trump’s sanctions on Russian oil will claim their biggest scalp when Lukoil, one of the world’s biggest energy companies, sells its overseas assets.

Just one problem: Does the president know that the $22 billion deal will be something of a coup for David Rubenstein, champion of the liberal elite? His Carlyle Group is now on course to secure billions of dollars in Lukoil assets, turning it into a major player in the energy sector.

Trump and Rubenstein once regarded each other as friends, but the private equity billionaire has emerged in recent years as a key backer of the sort of “woke” initiatives that infuriate MAGAworld.

Last year, Trump unceremoniously dumped Rubenstein as chairman of the Kennedy Center, along with the rest of the board who “do not share our vision for a golden age in arts and culture.”

KAROLINE LEAVITT’S MATERNITY COVER IS REVEALED

“He hates Rubenstein,” a former White House official said. “That guy led the anti-Trump faction of the D.C. elite. The president has spent the past year undoing the mess he left at the Kennedy Center. I wouldn’t want to be the one telling him about this deal.”

The Trump administration imposed sanctions on two of Russia’s biggest oil companies in October to choke the flow of cash to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Ukrainian war effort. Lukoil quickly announced it would sell its foreign assets.

Secrets understands that Lukoil and Carlyle Group executives are due to meet today, after announcing a preliminary deal last month.

It puts Rubenstein on a collision course with the Trump administration. The U.S. Treasury will have to sign off on any final agreement, which means he may have awkward questions to answer about his past political comments.

For example, Rubenstein dedicated his 2020 book, How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers, to people who resisted Trump’s first presidency.

“In the end, I dedicate the book to the public servants who made it possible for us to preserve our democracy [under attack from Trump],” he told the Guardian. “I do think that, for example, had all the judges gone the wrong way, we’d be in a different situation today.”

Allies of the president accuse Rubenstein’s companies of promoting DEI initiatives. …

Zelensky criticizes IOC for disqualifying Ukrainian Olympian for helmet honoring athletes killed in war
Same show, different day.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ripped the International Olympic Committee for disqualifying Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych for wearing a helmet honoring athletes killed since the beginning of the war.

The IOC announced Thursday morning that it was disqualifying Heraskevych for his refusal to comply with the committee’s guidelines on “athlete expression.” Zelensky said sports “shouldn’t mean amnesia,” following the decision. 

“Sport shouldn’t mean amnesia, and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors,” Zelensky said in a statement on X. “This is certainly not about the principles of Olympism, which are founded on fairness and the support of peace.”

Zelensky thanked Heraskevych for his “clear stance,” arguing the helmet was about “remembrance.” 

“It is a reminder to the whole world of what Russian aggression is and the cost of fighting for independence,” Zelensky said. “And in this, no rule has been broken.”

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych holds his crash helmet as he stands in the mixed zone of the sliding center at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

IOC President Kirsty Coventry said she met with Heraskevych for a “respectful” conversation before he was disqualified. 

Coventry said the decision was not about the message, but was based on the “rules and regulations.” 

“No one – no one, especially me – is disagreeing with the messaging. The messaging is a powerful message. It’s a message of remembrance. It’s a message of memory,” she said in a statement. “It’s not about the messaging; it’s literally about the rules and the regulations.”

“In this case – the field of play – we have to be able to keep a safe environment for everyone. And sadly, that just means no messaging is allowed,” she added.

VANCE AMPLIFIES US OLYMPIANS ARE NOT AT GAMES TO ‘POP OFF’ ON POLITICAL TAKES

Zelensky called out Russia for “constantly” violating “Olympic principles.”

He highlighted various Russian military actions taken following the Olympic Games, specifically pointing to Georgia in 2008, 2014, with the “occupation” of Crimea, and 2022 with the invasion of Ukraine. 

“It is Russia that constantly violates Olympic principles, using the period of the Olympic Games to wage war,” he said. “And now, in 2026, despite repeated calls for a ceasefire during the Winter Olympics, Russia shows complete disregard, …

Federal judge orders deported Venezuelans to be returned to US
This affects the entire country.

A U.S. federal judge has ordered the Venezuelan men that the Trump administration deported to El Salvador early last year be returned to the United States, stating that they did not receive due process in some cases.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued the order on Thursday.
The high-profile case involves the U.S. deportation of 252 suspected Venezuelan nationals, who were also suspected Tren de Aragua gang members, to CECOT prison in El Salvador early last year. 
Department of Justice lawyers told Boasberg on Monday that bringing over 100 Venezuelans back to the U.S. for immigration hearings would be preferable to remote hearings from El Salvador, Venezuela or other locations outside the U.S.
This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.
Fox News' Jake Gibson contributed to this report.

Controversy from Trump’s Obama video won’t ‘go away’ before November: Bob Cusack
This is performative politics again.

Washington Examiner Executive Editor Bob Cusack said on Sunday that the Republican Party is off to “a very bad start” for the November midterm elections after President Donald Trump generated new controversy over the weekend.

Trump posted and took down a video on Truth Social depicting him as the king of the jungle and former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. The post generated bipartisan backlash, including from Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the only black Republican senator, who called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen” from the Trump White House.

Cusack said this is new territory regarding how Trump has pushed the boundaries of his speech.

“And I think the reaction of Tim Scott, who remember, he’s head of the NRSC [National Republican Senatorial Committee], that’s the campaign chief, so he has to keep the Senate, and he is very concerned,” Cusack said on Fox 5 News On The Hill. “The year has gotten off to a very bad start, and I’m sure many Republicans are shaking their head, and this is not going to go away!”

The White House said on Friday that a staffer “erroneously” posted the video overnight. However, Cusack emphasized that people “want to know” the staffer’s identity.

The full video was about election technology. Trump admitted on Friday that he did not watch the full video. He also declined to apologize for sharing the video on his Truth Social account, but admitted the depiction of the Obamas was “some kind of a picture that people don’t like,” and he “wouldn’t like it either.”

TRUMP, ANOTHER HAIR-ON-FIRE UPROAR, AND THE MIDTERMS

“I look at thousands of things. I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine,” Trump said.

Prior to the video being taken down, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was an internet meme relating to The Lion King. However, the 1994 Disney movie does not feature gorillas.

Rep. Steve Cohen tells Pam Bondi that 'worst of the worst' are native-born Americans, not immigrants
Every delay has consequences.

A House Democratic lawmaker told Attorney General Pam Bondi that the "worst of the worst" targeted by the Trump administration is actually native-born Americans, not illegal immigrant criminals. 
Rep. Steve Cohen, of Tennessee, was speaking to Bondi during a combative congressional hearing over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein when he made his remarks. 
"We need people working on the front lines and local law enforcement to protect our citizens from the worst of the worst," Cohen said. "The worst of the worst are not the immigrants. The worst are the worst, records show are native-born Americans, and they are committing crimes that hurt our citizens and our cities."
DHS SAYS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS HELPED CHILD RAPISTS, GANG MEMBERS EVADE DEPORTATION
"And you're working against it," he added. "And thank you for that, but by trying to get our local law enforcement where we have an undercount of officers in Memphis to leave Memphis and go to work for ICE to deport people is a wrong priority."
The Trump administration has said that around 70% of the illegal immigrants targeted by federal immigration authorities have criminal records, including for violent offenses. 
DHS CALLS RAPE OF AUTISTIC TEEN ‘MOST HEINOUS WE’VE SEEN’ AS ICE DETAINER TESTS CALIFORNIA SANCTUARY LAWS
Many Democrats maintain that most illegal immigrants have not broken any laws aside from entering the United States illegally. 
Bondi argued that local and federal law enforcement both need "strong people."
"I've seen some of the worst of the worst, violent criminals, violent criminals who were in this country illegally," she said. "We both know that."
Cohen also told Bondi that ICE was "running rampant" and that Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were "executed" by federal authorities in Minneapolis as they allegedly impeded law enforcement operations. 
"They were executed like (Homeland Security Secretary) Krisit Noem executed her dog, and that was wrong," Cohen said. "And you should investigate those people. And you should investigate anybody that uses a weapon as a federal official or not, for civil rights violations."

Frey bucks Senate Homeland Security oversight hearing for meeting with Mamdani
This affects the entire country.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is headed to the Big Apple to meet with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, bucking an invitation to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s oversight hearing Thursday morning.

The two Democratic mayors are meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss public safety and protection of immigrants within each of their jurisdictions, Mamdani confirmed during a Thursday press conference.

“I look forward to getting to know him and also to speaking to the importance of protecting each one of our residents, including the immigrants who call both of our cities home,” Mamdani said regarding his meeting with Frey.

The Twin City mayor was brought up during the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s hearing on Thursday morning with Minnesota government officials, as House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) railed against Frey for declining the committee’s invitation to testify during the hearing.

“It’s a shame that [State Attorney General Keith Ellison‘s] partner in crime, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, declined the invitation to testify here today,” Emmer said. “Frey clearly has no problem talking about Minneapolis to any member of the media who will listen. So it makes you wonder if he’s too afraid to repeat those same lies under oath. I guess time will tell.”

Frey’s office did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.

Frey spoke out on X on Thursday morning in celebration of border czar Tom Homan‘s announcement that the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota would come to a halt. The Trump administration’s move to conclude the two-and-a-half-month surge came after anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests, centered in Minneapolis, erupted across the state in response to the surge and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of homeland security officers.

“This operation has been catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses, and now it’s time for a great comeback,” Frey said. “We will show the same commitment to our immigrant residents and endurance in this reopening, and I’m hopeful the whole country will stand with us as we move forward.”

HAWLEY CALLS ON MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO BE INDICTED OVER FRAUD REPORTS: ‘YOU OUGHT TO BE IN JAIL’

Mamdani said Thursday’s meeting comes as part of his effort to build relationships with mayors across the country.

“I’m looking forward to having a conversation with Mayor Frey and also to building relationships with …