Rubio to take questions as Leavitt replacement in White House briefing

The Iran war will be at the forefront Tuesday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio becomes the first person to stand in for press secretary Karoline Leavitt as she begins her maternity leave.

Iran and the U.S. exchange fire on Monday as the Trump administration began “Project Freedom,” an effort to guide some ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has repeatedly closed amid the war.

Despite the exchange, U.S. officials on Tuesday insisted the ceasefire between the sides remains.

“This is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury,” Hegseth said at a press conference on Tuesday. “We expected there would be some churn at the beginning, which happened” he said, when asked about the exchange of fire.

Rubio’s appearance in the briefing room comes before he is set to travel to Rome and Vatican City later this week to meet with Pope Leo XIV to........

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