EPA chief Scott Pruitt resigns

By Sarah Beth Hensley
July 5, 2018 | 3:42 PM

WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt has resigned, President Donald Trump tweets.

Trump tweeted Thursday that he had accepted the resignation of the scandal-plagued EPA chief.

Trump wrote that Pruitt “has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this.”

Deputy chief Andrew Wheeler will take over as acting administrator Monday, Trump said.

“I have no doubt that Andy will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda. We have made tremendous progress and the future of the EPA is very bright!,” Trump tweeted.

Stay with WTOP.com for updates on this developing story.

US-Iran conflict enters new phase as Saudi Arabia helps hit proxies and diplomacy stalls again

By The Associated Press
July 30, 2026 | 12:12 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — The stop-start fighting between the United States and Iran appears to have entered a new phase as Saudi Arabia has publicly joined military escalations against Tehran-backed proxies. At the same time, an already untenable diplomatic effort to end the war has faltered once again as mistrust deepens between the longtime adversaries. Despite several days of relative calm, both sides carried out military strikes in the last 24 hours that once again risk a return to all-out war — and further expansion in the region — while little is clear about what strategy, if any, American or Iranian officials have for a path forward. While President Donald Trump and his allies have spent recent days arguing that Iran is begging to return to the negotiating table, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said Tuesday that his country has made no requests to restart the diplomatic track in more than two weeks. Following a thwarted attack on the U.S. base in Jordan, Trump turned back to threats Wednesday even while sustaining the prospect of continued talks.

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