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Column: Biden wants his team to look competent. His Defense secretary made it look chaotic

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Column: Biden wants his team to look competent. His Defense secretary made it look chaotic

The Pentagon’s belated disclosure that Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III was hospitalized twice without informing President Biden touched off a controversy that isn’t likely to end quickly.

Austin’s defenders argue that his absence had no real-world consequences. The Pentagon says his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, was in charge while he was out of commission. And they point out that Austin has taken responsibility for the lapse.

But those excuses ignore an important element in this baffling episode. Austin committed a serious political blunder: He made it look as if Biden isn’t exercising clear command over his Cabinet.

The Defense secretary blindsided his boss, an error that’s serious in almost any organization, civilian or military.

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Worse, especially in an election year, he played right into a favorite anti-Biden narrative of Republicans: their charge that the president is weak and ineffective.

Voters often say that when they consider candidates for president, they want a strong leader. Polls have found that former President Trump, the likely Republican nominee, outscores Biden on that measure in most Americans’ eyes, fairly or not.

Austin inadvertently strengthened the GOP’s argument. Biden’s critics wasted no time using the club he handed them.

“It raises questions about Joe Biden’s competence, or that he’s really in charge at the White House,” said Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, referring to Austin’s AWOL episode. “If this administration would conceal a mere elective minor surgery for a Cabinet secretary, what might they be concealing about Joe Biden’s health?”

That attack was off-target; there’s no evidence that anyone other than Austin concealed his surgery. But the fact that Austin concealed his hospitalizations from the White House was bad enough.

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“This wasn’t a crime; it was a blunder,” said Peter Feaver, an expert on civil-military relations at Duke University who served on the National Security Council staff in both Democratic and Republican administrations. “It interfered with the contrast the president is trying to draw between chaos and adult leadership” — Biden’s claim that he restored competence and calm to the federal government, in contrast with the chaos of the Trump years.

As of Sunday, Austin was still at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, nearly two weeks after he checked in a second time. A Pentagon spokesman said he didn’t know why the secretary’s hospital stay had been extended.

“I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure,” Austin said in a written statement from the hospital. “I recognize I could have done a better job.”

Austin has been famously protective of his privacy. He keeps his public appearances to a minimum. He spends relatively little time with members of Congress. He steers clear of the Pentagon press corps.

But those choices have come at a price. The Defense secretary, a retired Army general, has shown himself to be politically tone-deaf.

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That weakness isn’t unknown among military officers. Political savvy isn’t a required core competency in the infantry.

“Most generals — even smart, successful four stars — have little experience navigating a strategic environment in which everything is political,” said Rosa Brooks, a Georgetown professor who worked in the Pentagon during the Obama administration.

That’s one reason six of the last 12 Defense secretaries have been politicians. Only two have been career military officers — Austin and retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, who served under Trump.

The White House made it clear that in its official view, Austin’s failure to communicate was a serious error.

“It is not optimal … for a situation like this to go as long as it did,” National Security Council spokesman John F. Kirby said in a painfully understated rebuke.

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But Kirby added that Biden has “full confidence” in Austin and does not plan to fire him.

Biden doesn’t fire subordinates often. Aides say he likes and admires Austin. And he doesn’t need a distracting confirmation process for a new secretary during an election year.

But Austin has made him look like a weak, indulgent manager at a time when Biden is trying to cast himself as a strong, decisive leader.

There’s a partial remedy for this problem.

Austin should submit his resignation to Biden — publicly, to make it clear that he recognizes his error and didn’t intend to disrespect the president.

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Biden can accept the resignation or refuse it. It would give him an opportunity to show who’s in charge.

Either way, the controversy isn’t going to disappear overnight. The Pentagon has launched a 30-day review of what went wrong. Its inspector general has begun a separate inquiry, which will take longer.

And members of Congress say they intend to hold hearings, which will focus mostly on whether the Pentagon’s claim that there was never a hiccup in the chain of command holds up.

Austin may have to talk about his medical history more than he ever wanted.

He deserves sympathy, of course, as a 70-year-old man facing a cancer diagnosis. But Biden deserves sympathy too. A president shouldn’t have to suffer needless political damage thanks to one of his own appointees.

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Warren tells Trump to ‘sign the damn bill’ as bipartisan housing package remains stalled in Washington

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Warren tells Trump to ‘sign the damn bill’ as bipartisan housing package remains stalled in Washington

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., lashed out at President Donald Trump during a recent local television interview, labeling him a “man-child” throwing a “tantrum” over his refusal to sign a sweeping bipartisan housing package.

Appearing on WCVB’s “On the Record,” the left-wing senator did not hold back her frustration over the stalled legislation, delivering a blunt message to the president: “Sign the damn bill.”

“If he cared about the American people, he’d have already signed the damn thing,” Warren said during the interview, arguing that Trump “does not care about the economic survival of America’s working families.”

FILE – The Senate previously advanced the massive housing package geared toward lowering the costs of homes and supercharging the housing supply. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pitched it as legislation to prevent America from becoming a “nation of renters.” (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Protect Borrowers ; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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TRUMP-BACKED HOUSING BILL CLEARS HOUSE AFTER GOP DEFIES SENATE PRESSURE CAMPAIGN

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is an expansive bipartisan package that she said contains nearly 50 provisions designed to address the nationwide housing emergency.

Warren noted that decades of under-building have driven prices up, leaving the U.S. in need of millions of new units. 

The primary focus of the bill is to lower the costs of construction and make it easier to build new homes.

FILE – President Donald Trump previously said lawmakers must first approve the SAVE America Act before he moves forward with the housing package. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg)

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BIPARTISAN HOUSING PUSH ADVANCES, BUT TRUMP-BACKED INVESTOR BAN FACES RESISTANCE

The bill, which was co-sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also includes a secondary focus aimed at blocking corporate consolidation of the housing market. 

Warren explained that the legislation is designed to keep private equity firms from buying up local neighborhoods and turning America “into a nation of renters.”

According to Warren, the legislation had widespread support from both sides of the aisle before it was stalled.

TRUMP VOWS BLOCK ON SIGNING NEW LAWS UNTIL SAVE AMERICA ACT PASSES SENATE

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She claimed the bill was “handed to the president on a silver platter” and that lawmakers from both parties were eagerly taking credit for the legislation.

“Republicans were all going online, saying, ‘well, I helped write that bill. This bill is terrific,’” Warren said. “So everybody’s out there saying, ‘my bill, I helped make this happen,’ right up until the man-child has a tantrum and announces he will not be signing it.”

FILE – Sen. Elizabeth Warren called President Donald Trump a “man-child” during the interview, describing his refusal to sign the bill as a “tantrum.” (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Critics of the legislation claim it does not allocate fresh federal funding, directly address rising costs of homeownership, or go far enough to address permitting issues. 

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The president previously canceled a scheduled signing event, insisting lawmakers must first approve the unrelated SAVE America Act, a voting-focused measure, before he moves forward.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

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MS NOW anchor Alex Witt to exit as network reduces live weekend programming

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MS NOW anchor Alex Witt to exit as network reduces live weekend programming

Veteran MS NOW anchor Alex Witt is leaving the news network, which is moving away from live evening programming on weekends.

The new weekend programming strategy announced Friday is a cost-saving measure that will give parent company Versant more resources for a new direct-to-consumer streaming offering that makes MS NOW available to consumers without a pay-TV subscription. The company is also looking to expand its live event business.

According to a memo from MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler, “The Weekend: Primetime,” a live discussion program launched last year, will have its final airing Saturday.

One of the program’s co-hosts, Antonia Hylton, will take over Witt’s midday shifts later this year. Hylton’s co-hosts Ayman Mohyeldin, Catherine Rampell and Elise Jordan will remain with MS NOW and continue to appear on other programs.

Kutler said job losses from the moves are minimal and encouraged staffers who lose their current roles to apply for 40 current job openings at the company with more on the way. MS NOW has been staffing up its news operation since separating from NBC News last year.

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MS NOW changed its name from MSNBC in November. The network, along with other Comcast-owned cable channels, were spun off into Versant in January.

Weekends have long been a ratings weak spot for MS NOW, which while a distant second to Fox News, has seen audience growth in 2026 and remains ahead of CNN. The network has started to rely on podcasts such as “Pod Save America,” from Crooked Media, to fill some hours. The episodes have performed strongly enough for MS NOW to try similar deals with outside podcast producers.

“Throughout the summer, we will expand our taped strategy and announce new content partnerships,” Kutler said in her memo.

With the changes, MS NOW will still have 20 hours of live programming each weekend and will be staffed to handle breaking news.

Witt joined the network formerly known as MSNBC in 1999, long before it began its strong tilt toward progressive political commentary. Over the years, Witt’s weekend newscast became one of the few programs on the network that delivered straight news without opinion.

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Kutler called Witt “a beloved longtime member of our MS NOW family” and “a continued, trusted, and steady presence for our audiences.”

While Witt works through the summer, Hylton will anchor the 11 a.m. weekday time period, which will eventually be handled by former NBC News White House correspondent Peter Alexander.

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McCarthy says Trump will use ‘everything he can’ to force Senate action on SAVE America Act

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McCarthy says Trump will use ‘everything he can’ to force Senate action on SAVE America Act

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As infighting over the SAVE America Act throws congressional Republicans into disarray, President Donald Trump’s bid to get the stalled election bill across the finish line gained one notable ally.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital that he supports the election integrity measure and indicated that Trump should continue to use every available tool to pressure the Senate to pass it.

“He’s going to try everything he can to make sure he passes that through,” McCarthy said in a brief interview outside the U.S. Capitol. 

The ex-speaker’s comments came after Trump abruptly called off a signing ceremony Wednesday for a bipartisan housing bill to pressure the Republican-controlled Senate to act on the SAVE America Act.

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President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs Reading Regional Airport in Reading, Pa., on June 23, 2026. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

IRATE REPUBLICANS ACCUSE TRUMP OF HANDING DEMOCRATS A WIN AFTER BLOWING UP HOUSING PACKAGE

The move surprised Republican lawmakers, some of whom were praising the bill’s passage at a press conference when Trump’s Truth Social post broke.

But Trump has repeatedly cast the election measure — requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and voter identification requirements — as his top legislative priority.

The legislation’s momentum, however, has slowed in the upper chamber, where Republican leadership insists the votes aren’t there amid widespread Democratic opposition. Senate Republicans have also been unwilling to eliminate the legislative filibuster, which requires a 60-vote threshold to pass the legislation.

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Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy speaks during a ceremony honoring President Ronald Reagan on the 115th anniversary of his birthday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2026. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group)

TRUMP CALLS MAIL IN VOTING CORRUPT AS SENATE BEGINS DEBATE ON SAVE ACT REQUIRING VOTER ID

Amid the SAVE standoff, a group of conservative lawmakers effectively shut down the House floor in an effort to force Senate action on the election bill. 

But the Senate recessed Wednesday for two weeks over the July 4 holiday, leaving the measure in limbo until lawmakers return.

The conservative-led blockade sparked fierce backlash, with several members inside the GOP conference telling Fox News Digital the move risked torpedoing their own legislative agenda.

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Meanwhile, the House has also yet to pass a version of the legislation incorporating several of the president’s priorities, including a mail-in voting crackdown and provisions banning men from competing in women’s sports and child sex change procedures. 

Trump has not indicated whether he will sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, despite the likely existence of a veto-proof majority.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Thursday that the housing bill had been transmitted to the White House for Trump’s signature following a meeting with the president.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol on June 10, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Trump now has 10 days to sign the package or veto it. If he does nothing, the legislation automatically becomes law at the end of the 10-day period.

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