Why a longshot candidate is emerging as the favorite to become Biden's secretary of defense
President-elect Joe Biden said Monday that he'll announce his defense secretary by the end of the week, and it looks like retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, a candidate who was once considered a long shot, is moving to the top of the list, three people familiar with the discussions told Politico.
Michèle Flournoy was initially seen as the frontunner, but Biden has faced pressure to nominate a person of color for the post, Politico notes. Subsequently, Austin and former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who are both Black, have emerged as top-tier contenders.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That doesn't mean there would be no drama if Biden does give Austin the nod. Some national security experts have pointed out he'd require a special waiver to get confirmed since he hasn't been out of the military for the required seven years, and he's also faced questions in the past about the military's role in training forces to combat the Islamic State in Syria, as well as allegations when he was leading U.S. Central Command that the command downplayed intelligence reports on the threat posed by ISIS. His command was cleared in an investigation in 2017. Read more at Politico.
-
Health insurance: Premiums soar as ACA subsidies endFeature 1.4 million people have dropped coverage
-
Anthropic: AI triggers the ‘SaaSpocalypse’Feature A grim reaper for software services?
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC head
Speed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
