Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications from elective surgery, with the Pentagon not publicly announcing his hospitalization until Friday. Austin expressed his commitment to transparency and taking responsibility for decisions about disclosure, although the nature of his medical procedure has not been specified. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks acted in his place, with the Pentagon only informing the White House about Austins hospitalization on Thursday.
MJ Lee, Oren Liebermann, Haley Britzky, Natasha Bertrand, Kevin Liptak
James Gordon
NPR