Thousands Protest in Brazil Against Efforts to Reduce Jair Bolsonaro’s Prison Sentence 
Zelenskiy Signals Willingness to Drop NATO Bid as Ukraine, U.S. Hold Crucial Peace Talks in Berlin 
Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Targets Senior Hamas Commander Amid Ceasefire Tensions 
Colombia’s Clan del Golfo Peace Talks Signal Mandatory Prison Sentences for Top Leaders 
Tunisia Protests Grow as Opposition Unites Against President Kais Saied’s Rule 
Special Prosecutor Alleges Yoon Suk Yeol Sought North Korea Provocation to Justify Martial Law 
Belarus Pledges to Halt Smuggling Balloons Into Lithuania 
U.S. Soldiers Killed in ISIS Attack in Palmyra, Syria During Counterterrorism Mission 
New Epstein Photos Surface Showing Trump as Lawmakers Near Document Release Deadline 
U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Amid Shift in Brazil Relations 
Hong Kong Democratic Party Disbands After Member Vote Amid Security Crackdown 
Bolivia Orders Pre-Trial Detention of Former President Luis Arce Over Embezzlement Probe 
Supporters Gather Ahead of Verdict in Jimmy Lai’s Landmark Hong Kong National Security Trial 
Global Leaders Condemn Deadly Antisemitic Shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach During Hanukkah 
Thailand Vows Continued Military Action Amid Cambodia Border Clash Despite Trump Ceasefire Claim 
Russian Drone Attack Hits Turkish Cargo Ship Carrying Sunflower Oil to Egypt, Ukraine Says 
Following the departure of several top aides, another aide will be stepping down from their position in Vice President Kamala Harris’s office. Harris’s deputy press secretary Sabina Singh will be leaving to serve in the Pentagon.
Singh’s departure was revealed in an internal email obtained by CBS News, revealing more staff changes in Harris’s office. Harris’s communications director, Jamal Simmons, wrote in the memo the news of Singh’s departure.
“We will miss her institutional knowledge, strategic counsel, and rapid-fire e-mail fingers,” said Simmons.
Singh’s departure follows several other top Harris aides who left Harris’s team, including Symone Sanders and Ashley Etienne, who stepped down last year. Singh is also one of the longest-serving aides of the vice president, having been hired by Harris back in March 2020, running the communications of her political operations.
Singh also played a key role as Harris’s adviser during the silent campaign to become Joe Biden’s running mate for the Democratic ticket during the elections. Singh also worked for Harris during the general election and the transition period and has been deputy press secretary since the beginning of the administration.
Ernesto “Ernie” Apreza, who serves in the White House Office of Public Engagement, will be taking Singh’s place as Harris’s deputy press secretary. Apreza worked on the Biden-Harris campaign and on Harris’s 2019 presidential campaign.
Herbie Ziskend, who is currently Harris’s deputy communications director, will become the vice president’s senior communications adviser. Rachel Palermo will be taking Ziskend’s place as the new deputy communications director.
In other related news, Biden made another gaffe regarding Harris at the recent White House event marking Equal Pay Day. Harris was initially set to attend the event with her husband, Doug Emhoff but ended up not attending when Emhoff tested positive for COVID-19. The US leader mistakenly referred to Harris as “first lady,” drawing laughter from the audience present.
“There’s been a little change in the arrangement of who is on the stage because of the first lady’s husband contracting COVID-19,” said Biden during the event, leading some people to point to him as his statement meant that he was the one who tested positive.
