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On Politics

Tue Oct 13 2026

Zachary Schermele | Congressional Correspondent

@zachschermele

Hello, readers. Welcome back to On Politics. Zach Schermele here, USA TODAY's congressional correspondent. It's Tuesday, and Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-fiancée is out as ambassador to Greece. More on that later.

A Maine-Oregon gaffe

A media vendor for the Republican group supporting one of the most vulnerable incumbent GOP senators in the midterms accidentally ran a $25,000 ad in the wrong state, my USA TODAY Network colleague Margie Cullen reports. The digital advertising buy from Defending Main Street, a Republican super PAC, for Sen. Susan Collins targeting her Democratic opponent Troy Jackson accidentally ran in Portland, Oregon – not Portland, Maine.

"The error was identified, the ads were immediately stopped and corrected, and the vendor is refunding Defending Main Street the full amount of the misplaced spend," a Defending Main Street spokesperson said. "No donor funds will be lost as a result of the vendor’s error."

A politics rundown

•	New Texas Senate poll shows Republicans gaining as early voting nears
•	Supreme Court will hear DOGE transparency dispute
•	British spy chief warns of growing Iranian threat as war continues

Daily photo gallery: In new historical archive, see photos of people who've kept the White House running for years

A new White House press secretary

Katie Zacharia, a conservative commentator whom President Donald Trump picked as the new White House press secretary, made her formal debut at the briefing room podium today, introducing herself and taking only a few questions from the press. It lasted just 14 minutes, as my colleague Joey Garrison reports – an abnormally short amount of time, especially for an introductory news conference.

Reporters raise their hands to ask questions as the new White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia holds her first press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, US, October 13, 2026.

Kevin Lamarque, REUTERS

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Guilfoyle out

Zacharia did manage to make some major news today, though. As our White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers reports, she confirmed that Trump was dismissing Kimberly Guilfoyle, his son's ex-partner, as U.S. ambassador to Greece. A series of reports had raised questions about her conduct. Trump campaign donor Eric Deters said she pushed him to pay off her $100,000 American Express bill while she was preparing for her Senate confirmation hearing last year.

Trump confirmed the firing later, telling reporters: "I didn't like what I read." Immediately before Trump's comments, Guilfoyle posted a statement to X announcing her resignation and denouncing the allegations against her as false.

That's all from me for today, folks. Questions? Comments? Tips? Reach me, as always, at zschermele@usatoday.com or on Signal @zachschermele.02