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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized with mystery illness; DoD remains mum on release

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized with mystery illness; DoD remains mum on release

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin has been hospitalized since the first day of 2024, and while Pentagon officials have not said when he will be released, they continue to avoid saying why he went to the hospital in the first place. Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last Monday, for what Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder described as complications from an elective medical procedure. On Sunday, Ryder told Fox News that Austin had an elective medical procedure at Walter Reed on Dec. 22, 2023. Austin was on leave at the time of the procedure, and he returned home the next day. But on Jan. 1, he started experiencing “severe pain,” and was taken back to Walter Reed and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). DOD SECOND IN COMMAND TOLD OF AUSTIN’S HOSPITALIZATION 2 DAYS AFTER TAKING OVER SOME OF HIS DUTIES Ryder said Austin was placed in the ICU to ensure immediate access to his medical needs, but he remained there, in part, because of privacy and hospital space considerations. Ryder told Fox News he could not provide additional information about Austin’s ailments for privacy reasons. On Friday, Austin resumed his duties from the hospital, and according to Ryder, he is recovering well and is in good spirits. DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING SURGERY COMPLICATIONS “Since resuming his duties on Friday evening, the Secretary has received operational updates and has provided necessary guidance to his team,” Ryder said. “He has full access to required communications capabilities and continues to monitor DoD’s day-to-day operations worldwide.” Ryder added that Austin spoke with President Biden on Saturday and has been in contact with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. and his senior staff. As to when Austin will be released from the hospital, Ryder noted there is no specific date. He was also unable to provide information on whether Austin will be doing in-person press briefings over the next week.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized after mystery procedure; DoD remains mum on release

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized after mystery procedure; DoD remains mum on release

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin has been hospitalized since the first day of 2024, and while Pentagon officials have not said when he will be released, they continue to avoid saying why he went to the hospital in the first place. Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last Monday, for what Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder described as complications from an elective medical procedure. On Sunday, Ryder told Fox News that Austin had an elective medical procedure at Walter Reed on Dec. 22, 2023. Austin was on leave at the time of the procedure, and he returned home the next day. But on Jan. 1, he started experiencing “severe pain,” and was taken back to Walter Reed and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). DOD SECOND IN COMMAND TOLD OF AUSTIN’S HOSPITALIZATION 2 DAYS AFTER TAKING OVER SOME OF HIS DUTIES Ryder said Austin was placed in the ICU to ensure immediate access to his medical needs, but he remained there, in part, because of privacy and hospital space considerations. Ryder told Fox News he could not provide additional information about Austin’s ailments for privacy reasons. On Friday, Austin resumed his duties from the hospital, and according to Ryder, he is recovering well and is in good spirits. DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING SURGERY COMPLICATIONS “Since resuming his duties on Friday evening, the Secretary has received operational updates and has provided necessary guidance to his team,” Ryder said. “He has full access to required communications capabilities and continues to monitor DoD’s day-to-day operations worldwide.” Ryder added that Austin spoke with President Biden on Saturday and has been in contact with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. and his senior staff. As to when Austin will be released from the hospital, Ryder noted there is no specific date. He was also unable to provide information on whether Austin will be doing in-person press briefings over the next week.

DeSantis dismisses rumors he would drop of presidential race after caucus: ‘A total lie’

DeSantis dismisses rumors he would drop of presidential race after caucus: ‘A total lie’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday dismissed rumors that he would drop out of the 2024 presidential race if he were to lose to former President Donald Trump at the Iowa caucuses on January 15.  “That’s a lie. Yeah, that’s a total lie,” DeSantis told an audience member during a campaign stop in a suburb of Iowa Sunday morning. “When they’re doing that they are trying to trick you guys by doing this. They’re going to do some anonymous source. They do this to me all the time. They say, ‘anonymous sources have said this, and then they run with it.”  Earlier in his talk, DeSantis assured an audience member that he would stay in the race past the Iowa caucuses. “Make no mistake, we’ve got a mission. We’ve got to complete a mission. It’s a long process. It’s an arduous process,” DeSantis said. “I think Iowa is going to be a great place for us to start the process. But we certainly have a lot of road after that. And we’re girded for the long battle.”  STEFANIK DECLINES TO COMMIT TO CERTIFYING 2024 ELECTION RESULTS: ONLY ‘IF THEY ARE CONSTITUTIONAL’ Speaking with Fox News’ Bill Melugin on the sidelines, DeSantis reiterated his assertion that rumors of a pending dropout were a lie.  “That report is categorically false,” DeSantis said.  Being the first state to cast votes for presidential nominees, Iowa’s caucuses set the stage for the entire primary season. Winning or performing strongly in Iowa can generate crucial momentum for candidates, influencing voter perceptions of their viability. DeSantis is in an increasingly testy contest with former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley to emerge in Iowa as the preferred alternative to Trump for the party’s 2024 nomination. DeSantis has said he expects to win Iowa despite trailing far behind Trump in polls. He portrays Haley, who was Trump’s U.N. ambassador, as a puppet of wealthy donors and someone who has flip-flopped on key issues. DeSantis would upend the race if he were to beat Trump in the caucuses. Haley’s allies believe they could hobble DeSantis if she finishes ahead of him. The thinking is that a second-place finish would give her a boost before New Hampshire’s Jan. 23 primary and a chance to take on Trump directly in South Carolina a month later. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

DOD second in command told of Austin’s hospitalization 2 days after taking over some of his duties

DOD second in command told of Austin’s hospitalization 2 days after taking over some of his duties

The Pentagon’s second in command, Defense Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks, was unaware that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the hospital when she assumed some of his duties early last week, according to a senior military official. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder revealed in a statement on Friday that Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last Monday, following complications with an elective medical procedure. A senior defense official told Fox News that Austin originally intended to work from home during the first week of January. The press was not told of the news for days because of “medical and personal privacy issues,” Ryder noted. PENTAGON FACING BACKLASH OVER FAILING TO DISCLOSE SEC. AUSTIN’S ILLNESS: ‘HARMS CREDIBILITY’ Also kept out of the loop for days were President Biden, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the White House Chief of Staff, other senior White House officials and the second in command at the Pentagon. Hicks, who was on a previously scheduled vacation in Puerto Rico was not told Austin had been hospitalized until Thursday. As soon as she found out her senior was hospitalized, she planned to put out a press statement and go back to Washington, D.C. on Friday, a senior U.S. defense officials confirmed with Fox News. Despite her plans, Hicks was told Austin would resume his duties on Friday. Although Hicks was told of Austin’s hospitalization on Thursday, Ryder said, “certain operational duties” were transferred to her on Jan. 2. DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING SURGERY COMPLICATIONS “On the afternoon of January 2, the Secretary of Defense transferred to the Deputy Secretary of Defense certain operational responsibilities that require constant secure communications capabilities,” Ryder said. “This transfer occurs from time-to-time and is not tied chiefly to health-related matters. The deputy secretary keeps a complete suite of communications and capable staff with her at all times, regardless of geographic location.” A senior defense official added that Hicks immediately told staff to draft the public statement and congressional outreach. “Deputy Secretary Hicks made some routine operational and management decisions for the Department over this period and was fully authorized and ready to support the President on other military matters, should the need have risen,” the senior defense official said. GOP SENATORS OUTRAGED OVER ‘SHOCKING BREAKDOWN’ RELATED TO DEFENSE SEC LLOYD AUSTIN’S SECRET HOSPITALIZATION The news came as tensions remained heightened in the Middle East when a U.S. strike killed four members of an Iran-aligned militia group in Baghdad and two suicide bombs in Iran left at least 103 people dead. Israel also continued its bombardment of Gaza while Austin was hospitalized. Austin remains hospitalized at Walter Reed, according to Ryder. He added that a date for his release is not yet available. It is still unclear why Austin was hospitalized in the first place, or what the elective procedure was or when it occurred. Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Blinken says Palestinians displaced in Gaza must be able to return home

Blinken says Palestinians displaced in Gaza must be able to return home

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that Palestinian civilians must be able to return home and rejected statements by Israeli officials calling for the mass displacement of Gaza residents. Speaking at a press conference in Doha on Sunday alongside Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Blinken said the United Nations can play a crucial role in allowing displaced civilians in Gaza to return home as Israel moves to a “lower-intensity phase” of its military campaign. “They [Palestinian civilians] cannot – they must not – be pressed to leave Gaza,” he said. The top US diplomat condemned the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Hamza Dahdouh, the son of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief and correspondent Wael Dahdouh, and called it an “unimaginable tragedy”. Hamza was killed along with fellow journalist Mustafa Thuraya in an Israeli attack on southern Gaza on Sunday. Israeli forces previously killed several members of Wael Dahdouh’s immediate family in an air raid. “I can’t begin to imagine the horror that he’s experienced – not once, but now twice,” Blinken said. “This is why we are pressing the need – the imperative – not only of making sure that humanitarian assistance can get to people who need it, but that people are protected from harm from this conflict in the first place.” Tamer Qarmout, assistant professor in public policy at the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera that while Blinken has expressed sorrow over Dahdouh’s loss, the top US diplomat has not held Israel accountable for killing journalists in Gaza. The US Department of State has issued emergency declarations twice in recent weeks to deliver bombs to Israel without congressional oversight. At the press conference in Doha, Blinken said that all US weapons deliveries to any country, including Israel, are made with conditions that humanitarian law is respected. He said that while Israel has a right to target Hamas and ensure that the group can no longer launch attacks, it is “imperative” to protect civilians. “As operations phase down, that will certainly make it easier to ensure that civilians are not harmed and will also ensure that more assistance can get to people who need it,” he said. Qatar’s Al Thani said that the world is getting used to the images of civilian suffering in Gaza. “This is a big test for our humanity,” he said. At least 22,835 people have been killed – including 9,600 children – in Israel’s assault on Gaza since October 7, according to Palestinian officials. At least 1,140 people were killed in Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, according to Israeli authorities, and around 240 others taken captive. Al Thani said the killing of Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut has affected Qatar’s efforts to negotiate between the Palestinian group and Israel over freeing the captives. Qatar previously played a key role in mediating a seven-day truce between Israel and Hamas that saw more than 100 captives freed and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails. Al Thani said Doha continues to negotiate and that he and Blinken discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire and ensure the release of more captives. Blinken warns Houthis The top US diplomat was in Doha as a part of a week-long diplomacy tour in the Middle East, seeking to calm what he said is a “moment of profound tension” in the region amid Israel’s three-month-long war in Gaza. Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have frequently exchanged cross-border fire. Dozens of Lebanese civilians and more than 140 Hezbollah members have been killed in the fighting, leading to growing concern that the Gaza war could escalate into a regional conflagration. On a separate front, the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired missiles at Israel and carried out several attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in what they say are acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The group, which controls much of Yemen, say they are targeting vessels which are destined for Israel. The attacks have led to many global shipping companies including Maersk to avoid the Red Sea shipping route, and the US has responded by setting up a multinational maritime force to protect shipping lanes in the region. Blinken noted how the Houthi attacks were “hurting people around the world”, with shipping costs increasing and goods deliveries taking longer. He stressed that Washington is keen to ensure the war does not spread. “Over a dozen countries have made clear that the Houthis will be held accountable for future attacks,” Blinken said, referring to the US-led coalition. Qarmout told Al Jazeera that it is clear that the Americans are sending a clear message from Doha to neighbouring Iran, who back the Houthis, that they [the US] doesn’t want to see an escalation of the war. “There is war fatigue … It is an elections year in the US as well. I think the Americans don’t have an appetite for this conflict to escalate and to involve other parties like Hezbollah and Iran,” Qarmout said. “So I think there is a sincere will by the Americans to engage in diplomacy and achieve some gains.” Adblock test (Why?)