In a rare move by the U.S. Senate, former General Lloyd Austin was confirmed as the next U.S. defense secretary on Friday. Typically retired generals have to wait seven years before assuming the role as head of the Pentagon but according to Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif. 3rd District), extenuating circumstances called for the Senate to confirm President Joe Biden’s pick.
Austin retired from the military in May 2016 but received a waiver from the House and Senate on Thursday. His confirmation was approved in the full Senate with a vote of 93-2.
“I have great confidence in him. He did a very, very good job at the hearing. Obviously he did a very good job in the military. and he has very significant challenges, challenges that he is particularly and uniquely capable of handling,” Garamendi told Cheddar.
Austin made history as the first Black person to be named head of the Pentagon and is just the 28th to hold the role. According to Garamendi, that, in part, qualifies him to handle an array of issues plaguing the armed services, including issues containing white nationalism, stopping racism, and ensuring minorities receive equal opportunities for promotion.
During his Senate hearing, Austin also emphasized that China remains a prominent threat to the U.S., signaling it will be another top priority once he is sworn in as defense secretary.
According to the U.S. Constitution, the position of the secretary of defense is a civilian-held role and the seven-year window between retirement and potential confirmation is to protect the government from potential coups. This is why the waiver was necessary for Austin, as it was for Gen. James Mattis, the first defense secretary to serve under President Donald Trump.
“Will it be a standard procedure? I would hope not, but the door is opened," Garamendi said.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
President Donald Trump's administration is appealing a ruling blocking him from immediately firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook as he seeks more control over the traditionally independent board. The notice of appeal was filed Wednesday, hours after U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb handed down the ruling. The White House insists the Republican president had the right to fire Cook over mortgage fraud allegations involving properties in Michigan and Georgia from before she joined the Fed. Cook's lawsuit denies the allegations and says the firing was unlawful. The case could soon reach the Supreme Court, which has allowed Trump to fire members of other independent agencies but suggested that power has limitations at the Fed.
Chief Justice John Roberts has let President Donald Trump remove a member of the Federal Trade Commission, the latest in a string of high-profile firings allowed for now by the Supreme Court.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
