Author: KMIZ

By Betsy Klein, Alayna Treene, CNN

(CNN) — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her role at the end of August, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday.

The imminent departure of one of the president’s closest allies inside the White House marks a major shakeup for the president’s press operation, with less than three months until the midterm elections.

Describing her as “one of my most trusted aides,” Trump said in a social media post that 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!”

Leavitt, he added, will continue to serve as an outside adviser.

The departure comes at a challenging moment for Trump, who’s facing low approval ratings amid the ongoing war with Iran and high gas prices, with most Americans saying he hasn’t paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems.

Leavitt, 28, made history as the youngest-ever White House press secretary, and also the first woman to be pregnant in the high-pressure job. She returned to the briefing room podium last month after a short maternity leave.

Leavitt served in a junior role during Trump’s first term, then but has emerged as one of his most effective and loyal spokespeople during his second. She has cultivated a personal brand as a pit bull for the president and his policies, tussling with reporters who ask tough questions and welcoming friendlier outlets.

Behind the microphone and on social media, she has also presented herself as a devoted wife and working mom, toting toddler son Niko to Air Force One and the Oval Office, posing for photos with her husband at the White House Easter Egg Roll and Halloween celebrations, baking an apple pie from scratch and basking in newborn snuggles with daughter Viviana.

As is often true of social media, the images belie her demanding job.

“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary,” she wrote in a social media post Wednesday, calling her decision “bittersweet.”

The president, who believes he is his own best spokesperson, has been demanding of those who speak on his behalf. Following the birth of her daughter on May 1, Leavitt took roughly a month of leave away from the White House, during which the president often called her and, at times, asked when she planned to return, a person familiar with the discussions said.

When Leavitt’s first child was born in July 2024, she took just a four-day leave, returning to the campaign trail the day after then-candidate Trump was the victim of an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“It kind of threw me right back to work much sooner than I would have probably expected or hoped,” she later reflected in an interview with Megyn Kelly.

When Leavitt returned to the White House podium last month, she acknowledged balancing the demanding job with raising two young children was “challenging.” But, she added at the time, “I view this as more than job — I view this as public service.”

Leavitt ran for Congress in her home state of New Hampshire after Trump’s first term, losing in the general election. Then, during his 2024 presidential campaign, she became a trusted figure who quickly catapulted into his inner circle.

Now, as the 2026 midterms heat up, Leavitt could emerge as an important outside messenger.

“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,” she wrote Wednesday.

During Leavitt’s recent maternity leave, White House press briefings became significantly less frequent. The press shop stacked the lectern with top officials like Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — guest appearances that came with varying levels of success.

As of Wednesday afternoon, it was not immediately clear to some White House staff who would replace Leavitt, a source said.

And finding a replacement for one of the most visible women in Trump’s administration could be challenging.

Leavitt has served in the role for 18 months, making her the second-longest-serving press secretary under Trump. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, now governor of Arkansas, held the role for just under two years during Trump’s first term. Kayleigh McEnany held the role for eight months, Stephanie Grisham for 10 months and Sean Spicer for six months.

There has been some turnover in the White House press office during Trump’s second term. Taylor Budowich, who was deputy chief of staff for communications, departed after eight months. Two of Leavitt’s deputies, Harrison Fields and Abigail Jackson, have also left.

This story has been updated with additional information.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Police are sharing new evidence of a theft investigation at the home where a University of Missouri employee was shot to death in 2021.

James Hundle was assistant to the vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri when he was killed. He was also an adviser to the agricultural fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho.

Officers found the 52-year-old dead with a gunshot wound in the 4800 block of Marble Cedars Drive on the morning of Oct. 13, 2021. CPD criminal investigator Lt. Matt Gremore said an associate of Hundle’s had called for medical help.

“He was found basically in an unconscious state. So they did not know if he was deceased or alive at the time that the caller made the call,” Gremore said. “It was very vague. It was unknown circumstances of what had happened.”

Gremore said the caller found police when they arrived and led them to where he had been found.

“I can’t get into the exact injuries that he had, but I can tell you he was found deceased,” Gremore said.

Gremore later said Hundle was shot, but would not say how many times or if any casings and a gun were recovered. Police found that it was not a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Gremore.

However, a homicide was not the only thing they would end up discovering. An incident report obtained by ABC 17 News through a records request showed police were also investigating a theft. Gremore would not say what exactly was taken, but said the items were not guns or money.

“There were some items taken from the home. I’ll just say personal items,” Gremore said.

In 2021, a subpoena obtained by ABC 17 News showed that police had requested information from Tiger Security Services the day after Hundle was found dead. The request asked the company for “all sensor activations, arm and disarm of the security system” from Oct. 6 to Oct. 14.

Police at the time did not say whether anything was found in the security system data or the significance of the time frame provided. Gremore declined to discuss those details for this story, as well.

Gremore singled out three dates in that week they believe could be crucial to finding answers — Oct. 11-13.

“Anybody that had any conversations [with Hundle] from Oct. 11 through the 13th could be very beneficial,” Gremore said.

Ring doorbell footage was also collected from houses in the neighborhood, Gremore said. Police were searching for more information about a car in the preliminary days of the investigation, but Gremore would not say if it is believed to be a suspect vehicle or give any identifying details.

Hundle also owned Ruckus Bar and Grill and Splasher’s Laundromat in Columbia for several years. Both businesses have since changed hands.

“That’s a contact for us to have someone to talk to to see if he had problems with anybody, if there was any history there that we don’t know about,” Gremore said. “So that just leads you to another lead to investigate”

Gremore said the most beneficial discovery would be knowing the last person Hundle had contact with before his death.

Dylan Boling, a mentee of Hundle’s, remembered the day he heard the news. He had just graduated and moved away months prior. Boling said Hundle hadn’t shown up to work, raising concerns for those working with him.

“My good friend Isaiah was working for Hundle,” Boling said. “I remember Isaiah calling me, and I was in my office at our home at that time, and he told me that he was, he was gone, and he was killed, and there was little to no details about it.”

Boling was a member of the fraternity from 2017 to 2021 and served on the executive team for two years, where he described Hundle working as his “right-hand man.” Boling described his relationship with Hundle growing into a friendship over time.

“He wasn’t a harsh person by any means; he was very soft-natured,” Boling said. “He taught me a lot of good lessons. He would always keep you in check, and he had a good way about doing it.”

Boling did not know Hundle to have any enemies, but said his friend did not tend to share details of his personal life.

“That’s why this didn’t make a lot of sense when it happened and still doesn’t to this day; it’s like, why him?” Boling said.

Gremore said police don’t know the perpetrator’s motivation for killing Hundle.

“Only the killer knows the motivation, whether it was something they had planned versus something that had just kind of gotten out of control,” Gremore said.

Through the last five years, Gremore said, hundreds of people have been interviewed in connection with this investigation. Gremore said police have persons of interest in the case, but would not say how many.

Boling said police never talked to him about Hundle, but he thinks the conversation with him and other previous members of the fraternity could potentially help the investigation.

“There was probably a front that we knew that, you know, he kind of kept there, but anything that we can help with, maybe it clicks an idea on something else. Who knows?” Boling said.

In the aftermath of his death, Boling said Hundle left pretty big shoes to fill.

“I knew it was going to affect a lot of people,” Boling said. “We’ve never really had a steady adviser since then. I’ve stepped in the advisor role, and some others have, and in time just trying to fill the gap, but it’s hard to really fill those shoes fully.”

Even with the adviser role filled, members of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity continue to remember Hundle and the legacy he left behind.

“He had these [bull horns] in his office, and those are in the fraternity house now, today,” Boling said.

Watch “Mid Missouri’s Cold Case Files: The Murder of James Hundle” at 6 p.m. on KMIZ.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cole County judge on Wednesday allowed three Republican groups to step in on a lawsuit challenging a certificate of insufficiency the secretary of state issued on a referendum to get the 2025 congressional map on the November ballot.

Judge Daniel Green allowed the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee and Missouri Republican State Committee to join the secretary’s side in the lawsuit filed by political action committee People Not Politicians.

The lawsuit will go to trial next Tuesday, Green also ruled.

Attorney for the Republican groups, Marc Ellinger, argued in court Wednesday that his clients have a stake in the lawsuit because they want their candidates to win seats under the new congressional map. The 2025 congressional map is likely to cut out Democrat and District 5 incumbent Emanuel Cleaver and flip his seat to a Republican. Cleaver is running against state Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Harrisonville)

People Not Politicians attorney Chuck Hatfield argued against Ellinger’s points, adding that more people involved in arguments could slow down court proceedings when there’s about a month left to add measures to the November ballot.

In a separate People Not Politicians court case earlier this year, still on the 2025 congressional map, Ellinger intervened on behalf of another client and immediately asked for a judge change, which pushed back the trial.

“There has been a history in this case of state officials slowing the progress, waiting until the last minute,” Hatfield said. “I’m concerned about anything that would slow these processes down.”

Hatfield was worried this might happen again, but Ellinger said he doesn’t intend to call for a judge change.

“We do not want to run the clock out at all. We want to move as quickly as possible. This is important to get resolved, I mean, we’re going to try this case next week,” Ellinger said.

Hoskins waited until the last day permitted by law to announce his decision on the referendum. He has been a strong supporter of the 2025 map, also called the “Missouri First” map, since lawmakers passed the map in a special session nearly a year ago.

Hoskins, backed in court by the attorney general, argues Missouri law doesn’t allow a referendum on congressional maps. In his certificate of insufficiency, he calls the referendum unconstitutional.

People Not Politicians submitted their referendum to the secretary of state and started gathering signatures soon after the General Assembly approved the map, as lawsuits challenging mid-decade redistricting were filed in Cole County to block the map from going into effect.

The last day to add anything to the November ballot is Sept. 8, and the Missouri Supreme Court is expecting this case to reach the high court.

Chief Justice Brent Powell sent a letter to Green, asking the lower court to hold a quick trial and make a speedy decision.

“Following any entry of judgment in this matter, it must be assumed one or more parties will exercise their right to appeal,” Powell wrote. “Accordingly, the matter must be handled expeditiously to ensure sufficient time for expedited appellate review to be completed.”

People Not Politicians also has to win against the Republican National Committee, an intervenor and interested party in this case.

According to court documents, the RNC is invested in making sure its candidates make it to Congress.

The 2025 congressional map is likely to turn over Democrat Emanuel Cleaver’s seat representing District 5, which covered much of Kansas City under the old map, to a Republican. Cleaver is now running against Republican State Sen. Rick Brattin.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A temporary power outage has been scheduled for a Columbia neighborhood on Wednesday morning.

A Monday press release from the city says crews will remove fallen trees from an overhead power line.

“A tree has fallen onto a second tree, causing an issue with an overhead power line. For the crew to remove the tree safely, the power must be turned off,” the release says.

Power will be turned off between 8:30 a.m.-noon for the area near Lynwood Drive, Red Oak Lane and Crawford Street. About 70 city electric customers will be affected.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Moniteau County man was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor after two children and an adult were injured on Monday night from a crash during a high-speed chase.

Jaden Bennett, 23, of California, Missouri, was charged on Tuesday in Cole County with aggravated fleeing, two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and one count of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond.

The probable cause statement says a police officer saw Bennett drive through a red light in downtown Jefferson City and tried to conduct a traffic stop. Bennett stopped his vehicle and took off again when the officer got out of his vehicle, the statement says.

Speeds eclipsed 100 miles per hour and at one point Bennett’s vehicle became airborne, the statement says. He crashed his vehicle into a guard rail at the Summit Drive exit of Highway 54, the statement says.

An adult passenger, as well as a 12-year-old and 8-year-old were injured in the vehicle after the crash, police wrote.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

First responders from around the state gathered in Moberly on Tuesday for a two-day training focused on responding to active shooters.

The Active Attack Incident Management course brings together law enforcement, fire and EMS to train for how they would coordinate and manage resources during an incident.

The training is taught by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training. ALERRT instructor Damian McKeon said the training focuses on the officers responding directly to a threat and establishing a command structure to manage everything happening around them.

“We need security outside. We need to form rescue task forces, and they escort the medical folks in there and get the patients out. And none of that can happen without an incident command framework to set it up in a move,” McKeon said.

McKeon said the first officers arriving during an active attack are trained to go toward the sound of gunfire. He said the training then focuses on the integrated response of fire and EMS and how they can coordinate.

McKeon said scenes can be fast-moving, emotional and intense, making repetition important for those who may eventually be responsible for managing a response.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety made the training available to law enforcement agencies in all nine regions of Missouri through federal grant funding. Jason Baillargeon, a homeland security specialist with the Missouri Department of Public Safety, said participating departments do not have to pay to send first responders to these trainings.

“It is it is free to local law enforcement, across the state. And the initiative went for all nine regions. So we are trying to incorporate the entire state. So we have trainings in all nine regions,” Baillargeon said.

Baillargeon said this is the first year the Missouri Department of Public Safety has offered active-shooter incident management training.

The course goes beyond the initial response of an individual officer to an active shooter.

“It is another process moving away from the officer on the ground dealing, dealing with this specific incident. But how to manage the crisis in its entirety and so I believe this is what you would call probably a ‘big brother’ to the initial training that took place and is still taking place across the state of Missouri today,” Baillargeon said.

Participants spend two days completing the training. Baillargeon said responders who are not already familiar with the concepts first learn them before putting those lessons into practice. During the exercises, first responders used iPads and tabletop scenarios to work.

“So with active attack incident management today, the students are able to one work with technology as well as a tabletop and go through a critical incident from start to finish. It may be it may be multiple critical incidents,” Baillargeon said.

Moberly Police Chief Bobby Calvert said the course allows first responders from different agencies to learn the same terminology and understand where resources need to go during a critical incident.

Some participants included the Hannibal Fire Department, Moberly Police Department and Randolph County Sheriff’s Department. Fire personnel are also learning how their role fits into a response alongside law enforcement.

Hannibal Fire Department Deputy Chief Dane Riefesel said this was his first time participating in scheduled training with his local police department for this type of scenario.

“I mean, unfortunately, if it does happen, I mean, you want to be prepared for it. So we try to prepare for everything that could could happen. And this is one of those things that I think is important to be ready for, to to help your community in a time of need,” Riefesel said.

Baillargeon said the DPS plans to continue the training through the rest of this year. He said locations are arranged for law enforcement officers to attend the training.

“We, we arrange locations and, then, of course, the law enforcement officers are able to come and so hope that they can come. And I’m hoping, we don’t know as of yet, but we’re hoping to continue this activity. Incident management training as Big Brother two, level one, active shooter training in the future. In 27,” Baillargeon said.

Baillargeon later said the department is planning to continue training into 2027, but the funding source and the direction DPS will take for the future remain undetermined.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Sedalia woman was arrested and booked into the Saline County Jail on Monday after she allegedly ran over a pedestrian.

Kesley Chalfant, 27, was charged in Saline County on Monday with second-degree assault, driving while intoxicated causing serious injury and misdemeanor reckless driving. She is being held at the Saline County Jail without bond.

The probable cause statement says law enforcement was called to “the area of Morrow near Conway” after a pedestrian was run over by a Toyota Camry. Three witnesses reported seeing the victim hit by the Camry.

The probable cause statement says Chalfant appeared to be intoxicated. She allegedly admitted to having two alcoholic drinks, but a breath test determined she had no alcohol in her system, the officer wrote. Chalfant allegedly admitted to using marijuana products after she failed field sobriety tests, the statement says.

Police found tablets and CBD products in Chalfant’s car, the statement says.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A sex offender who is under 20 years of supervised release was arrested on Monday night in Boonville.

Andrew Paul Capps, 26, was charged in Cooper County with being a sex offender at a public park and resisting arrest. He is being held at the Cooper County Jail without bond. He pleaded guilty in federal court on Aug. 5, 2021, to distributing and possessing child sex abuse materials.

The federal sex offender registry lists his address as Leavenworth, Kansas, as of June 11; though Casenet shows his residence as being in Columbia.

The probable cause statement says Boonville police found Capps at Rolling Hills Park after the park was closed and learned that he was a sex offender with a warrant for his arrest. When police tried to detain him, Capps allegedly ran off but was caught after he slipped on wet grass and fell, court documents allege.

Capps allegedly admitted to living in the park for two days, the statement says.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper was cited by Lake Ozark police for resisting arrest on July 11.

Travis Michael Wood, of Kirksville, was cited at 12:45 a.m. July 11 in the 1300 block of Bagnell Dam Boulevard. He has an initial court appearance scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17 at the Miller County Courthouse.

MSHP spokesman Justin Dunn confirmed that Wood is assigned to Troop B, which covers much of northern and northeast Missouri. Wood remains on duty.

A previous press release from MSHP shows that Wood graduated from the patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy on June 24, 2022, and began working on July 11, 2022.  That release said he was assigned to Adair and Schuyler counties.