Politics

(GRAND RAPIDS, MI.) — On the campaign trail, President Joe Biden is touting a post-COVID-19 economy that has roared back to life and continued to shatter expectations in recent months.

Worries of a recession are fading, unemployment remains very low and average wages are on the rise again after years of being overtaken by high inflation, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But in the grocery aisles in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Teresa Johnson, a single mother, struggles to make ends meet for her and her 11-year-old daughter despite the cooling prices.

She told ABC News that she is still recovering from the financial hardships of the pandemic and has yet to see the benefits of the recent economic upturn.

“I’m living paycheck to paycheck because it’s so hard really to save,” Johnson said in an interview with ABC News Contributing Political Correspondent Rachael Bade.

“I won’t be able to retire, especially with a child that I have here at home. I don’t see it coming. I’m going to have to work until about 70 or 72,” Johnson said.

As voters look ahead to the 2024 presidential election, Johnson is among the 74% of Americans who said the economy was very important to them, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll from November.

A January ABC/Ipsos survey also found that Americans were broadly unhappy about the state of the economy, including the high prices and the high interest rates intended to fight inflation — and they mostly disapproved of Biden’s handling of the issue, despite his messaging and factors like high employment.

People like Johnson, in the key battleground of Michigan, offer a personal glimpse into those views, which could influence the next election.

A registered Democrat, Johnson told ABC News that while she voted for Biden in 2020, she is looking at other presidential candidates this year. “Right now, I’m kind of disappointed,” she said.

“As far as the economy, I’m upset as a working adult, mother and grandmother,” she said. “I don’t feel that there’s been enough changes as of now.”

Though Johnson described herself as “on the other side,” she said she likes former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a long shot challenger to Trump in the Republican primary.

For years, Johnson has been on a fixed disability income — but due to rising costs seen since inflation jumped in 2021 and 2022, the 66-year-old former state employee has had to take a part-time job in a school cafeteria.

The climb in food and gas prices pushed her already-tight budget to the brink and the financial pinch has meant making some tough choices: prioritizing food sales over food quality and choosing cheaper cuts of meat for dinner.

“I love Honeycrisp, but $8 to $9 for a bag of apples? That’s not good. That is really high. I can’t afford that,” Johnson told Bade, adding that it’s been a couple of months since she’s been able to have a large Sunday family dinner.

“It’s not feasible anymore because of the price of food,” Johnson said.

While inflation has fallen dramatically from its high in 2022, it remains nearly a percentage point above the Fed Reserve’s target of 2%.

Consumer prices rose by 3.1% in January compared to a year ago, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is less than the 3.4% year-over-year figure in December and well below the 9.1% annual spike seen in mid-2022.

By comparison, labor data shows that average hourly earnings grew by 4.5% from January 2023 to January 2024.

The Biden campaign and its surrogates have aggressively tried to move public opinion on the economy, touring key battleground states to advertise his record, including spending to boost domestic manufacturing and infrastructure as well as the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, $740 billion legislation that invests in clean energy and aims to lower health costs and provide tax credit incentives.

“Thanks to the American people, America now has the strongest growth, the lowest inflation rate of any major economy in the world,” Biden said at an event in January.

“Things are finally beginning to sink in,” he said then. “We passed a lot of really good legislation. We knew it was going to take time for it to begin to take hold, but it’s taken hold now in turning the economy around.”

Despite continued economic growth, the president’s politically branded “Bidenomics” pitch has largely fallen flat on the campaign trail, according to the polls.

Rising prices, even if they are rising more slowly than in 2021 and 2022, still seem to weigh on the minds of voters. (Officials like Fed Chair Jerome Powell have said that to truly decrease prices would mean having a broad recession — which creates other problems.)

A late-January NBC News poll showed that just 33% of registered voters said Biden would do a better job than rival Donald Trump handling the economy, while 55% of respondents said Trump would be better than Biden.

Small business owner Arick Davis, owner of the Last Mile Cafe in Grand Rapids, said he’s still reeling from the impact of inflation.

With many of his customers pinching pennies and shopping less, the financial toll has affected his bottom line, he said. He’s had to dip into his savings to keep his business afloat.

“There’s definitely been a lot of sacrifices in this period to turn this into the place that we want it to be,” Davis told ABC News.

Like Johnson, he said that he isn’t experiencing the lower rates of inflation that are making headlines.

“If inflation is going down, that’s great, but I have not seen any of my bills get cheaper. It does not feel like it’s gotten better. It does not feel like access to capital has improved,” he said, adding that he wants to see more solutions for helping small businesses and reducing overall spending.

Davis voted for Biden in 2020 and said he plans to do so again in the 2024 election. And while he cannot see himself voting for Trump, he wishes there were other viable candidates to choose from.

“I do not think Joe Biden should be the nominee for the Democrats,” Davis said. “There was a time where [Biden] presented himself as the best candidate, but I think that there are a plethora of people out there who probably would do a better job at the job.”

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(NEW YORK) — President Joe Biden, while campaigning in New York Monday, stopped by 30 Rockefeller to appear on NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”

The president’s sit down with the comic late Monday included questions about his age and his 2024 agenda versus that of former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for the nomination.

“Some documents recently leaked, some classified documents — and this isn’t a gotcha show but I do want to ask about it — that says you are currently 81 years old,” Meyers began.

“Who the hell told you that?” Biden joked. “That’s classified.”

Meyers then turned to a more serious note, highlighting the fact that polls show voters are concerned about Biden’s age as he runs for a second term and asking how Biden plans to address that on the campaign trail.

“No. 1, you got to take a look at the other guy, he’s about as old as I am,” Biden said, swiping at Trump, who is 77.

“No. 2, it’s about how old your ideas are,” Biden continued. “Look, I mean, this is a guy who wants to take us back. He wants to take us back on Roe v. Wade. He wants to take us back on a whole range of issues that for 50, 60 years they’ve been solid American positions.”

“I think it’s about the future,” Biden said. “And everything, every single thing we’ve done, and I think we’ve got some good things done … they told us we couldn’t get them done, because things were so divided.”

The interview comes as Biden (who has largely eschewed traditional press conferences or press interviews) seeks to tamp down voter worries and Republican criticisms about his age and stamina by ramping up his appearances. The choice of venue was also curated for an important demographic: younger voters.

In another moment of levity, Biden joked about conspiracy theories about Taylor Swift scheming with Democrats when it comes to everything from the Super Bowl to the 2024 election.

“Where are you getting this information?” Biden quipped when Meyers broached the subject. “It’s classified.”

Meyers also questioned Biden on Republicans holding up aid to Ukraine, Trump’s “dictator” remarks and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Biden, facing criticism by some Arab and Muslim communities in Michigan and elsewhere for his position on the Israel-Hamas war, said he believed there is a path forward — albeit a “difficult” one — on a cease-fire and hostage release.

“Ramadan is coming up and there’s been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out,” he said.

Earlier in the day, at an ice cream shop with Meyers, Biden said his hope is that there will be a cease-fire reached by next Monday — comments that a senior Israeli source told ABC News caught Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by surprise.

On his late-night appearance, Biden said without Israel, no Jewish person would be safe — but also warned of diminished support for the country if it continues its current tactics in Gaza.

“Israel has had the overwhelming support of the vast majority of nations. If it keeps this up without this incredibly conservative government they have … they’re going to lose support from around the world,” he said. “And that is not in Israel’s interest.”

ABC News’ Lauren Minore contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will host top congressional leaders at the White House Tuesday as he and fellow Democrats remain at odds with House Republicans over aid to Ukraine and government funding with a partial shutdown deadline just days away.

The “Big 4” leaders sitting down with the president are House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

The last time the group met was in mid-January to discuss how to break a stalemate over border policy and foreign aid.

Since then, Speaker Johnson, who rejected both a bipartisan border deal and stand-alone foreign aid bill out of the Senate, has been requesting a one-on-one session with President Biden but has so far been denied. The White House had criticized Johnson for his shifting views on how to move forward with the issues. Biden last week signaled he’d be willing to meet with Johnson if he had “anything to say.”

During Tuesday’s meeting with all four congressional leaders, Biden will try to “push forward” his supplemental funding request to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

“What the president wants to see is we want to make sure that the national security interests of the American people get put first, right?” Jean-Pierre said when asked what Biden would consider a successful meeting. “That it is not used as a political football, right? We want to make sure that gets done.”

She continued, “And we also want to see that the government does not get shut down. It is a basic priority or duty of Congress to keep the government open.”

Jean-Pierre also contended Biden, in past meetings, “moved the ball” on issues like the debt ceiling and border legislation.

“We have seen some movement,” she said. “We have seen the president’s leadership on this.”

The two-year mark of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine passed this weekend. Since Republicans took control of the House, no new aid has been approved by Congress to help Ukraine stave off Vladimir Putin’s forces.

Johnson dismissed the stand-alone foreign aid bill for not including border changes, and it was not brought to the House floor before lawmakers left earlier this month for a two-week recess. On the issue of Ukraine aid itself, Johnson previously said he wants answers from the administration on what exactly the endgame is for Ukraine and how the U.S. funds would be used to reach that goal.

Biden, in remarks last Friday, urged House Republicans to take up the Senate-passed foreign aid bill that would provide $60 billion to Ukraine as well as funding for Israel and Taiwan. Not supporting Ukraine, Biden warned, “will never be forgotten in history.”

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, in an interview on ABC’s This Week, put the onus on Johnson, saying “one person can bend the course of history” if he allows a vote on Ukraine aid. Sullivan said the administration believed it would ultimately receive bipartisan support. 

“Right now, it comes down to his willingness to actually step up to the plate and discharge his responsibility at this critical moment,” Sullivan said. “And history is watching.”

Meanwhile, if lawmakers can’t reach a spending agreement by Friday night, a partial shutdown will ensue affecting several agencies. If by March 8 there is still no legislation passed, a total government shutdown will occur.

Schumer, in a letter to colleagues ahead of lawmakers’ return to Washington on Monday, pinned blame on a possible shutdown and lack of foreign aid on the “extreme wing” of the Republican party.

“The fact is when Democrats and Republicans embrace compromise and cooperation, the Congress can invest in the American people, avoid an extreme Republican government shutdown, and fulfill our shared responsibility to protect our national security both at home and abroad,” Schumer wrote.

Johnson also issued a statement swiping at Schumer, accusing Democrats of playing “petty politics.” Republicans, he said, would be focused on reining in spending.

“At a time of divided government, Senate Democrats are attempting at this late stage to spend on priorities that are farther left than what their chamber agreed upon,” the speaker wrote on X.

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(WASHINGTON) — Michigan’s presidential primary on Tuesday offers both the most visible test yet of electoral anger with President Joe Biden for his response to the Israel-Hamas war — and another test of voter interest in former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s waning GOP campaign.

Critics of the president who say he’s been too lenient on Israel in its bombardment of Gaza as it fights against Hamas are urging voters to cast “uncommitted” primary ballots to express their displeasure and push for the White House to be less supportive of Israel’s tactics.

Biden’s campaign has met with community leaders in Michigan, which has a notable Arab population, and the president has suggested that he wants Israel to change course while still backing them against Hamas militants in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack. But protests have continued as the death toll in Gaza rises.

Meanwhile, Haley is seeking a strong showing in the state as she tries to chip away at former President Donald Trump’s gargantuan primary lead — an advantage that was underscored by his 20-point win in her home state over the weekend.

Here are three things to watch in Michigan on Tuesday night:

How big will the ‘uncommitted’ vote be?

Biden has sought to walk a fine line over the war in Gaza, criticizing Israel’s operations there as being “over the top” while declining to condition further aid to Israel on steps like a permanent cease-fire or negotiations with the Palestinians.

That strategy has earned him detractors on both sides — with Republicans saying he should be less critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and progressives and Arab Americans pushing for a tougher stance.

On Tuesday, that displeasure will be quantifiably measured.

The president’s victory is not particularly in question in the primary, given that he faces no major opponents and has seen large victories in the early nominating races so far. However, Michigan is an incredibly narrowly divided swing state, and any drop off could spell trouble for November.

The state also has the largest population of people of Middle Eastern or North African descent of all the battlegrounds, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wayne County, home to Dearborn and Detroit, has the largest percentage of any county.

Trump won Michigan by under 11,000 votes in 2016, and Biden won the state by about 154,000 votes in 2020. More than 300,000 people in Michigan cite ancestry from the Middle East and North Africa, according to the 2020 census, easily exceeding the last two margins of victory in the state.

The Biden campaign has recognized the backlash. A spokesperson said in a statement, in part, that he is “working hard to earn every vote in Michigan.”

High stakes for Whitmer

Biden isn’t the only Democrat who could be affected by the results on Tuesday.

The state’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is frequently cited as a possible presidential candidate in 2028 after winning her seat in 2018 and then romping to reelection in 2022, proving her ability to handily win one of the most important states in the Electoral College.

Her wins were fueled by support from moderates, suburbanites and Black voters — all constituencies Biden will need to shore up if he wants to win this November.

Whitmer is also one of eight national co-chairs of Biden’s reelection campaign, and her ability to help turn out voters for him in the state later this year could help pad her resume — and burnish her goodwill in the party — ahead of what will almost certainly be a crowded primary in 2028.

The governor has increased her appearances on the trail on Biden’s behalf, though she too has gotten flak both for statements that were considered too supportive of Israel or not supportive enough.

What’s going on with the Republican primary?

Republicans are holding their own primary Tuesday — and it’s confusing.

That’s because the party is also hosting a nominating convention on March 2. Sixteen delegates will be awarded based on Tuesday’s results and 39 will be awarded next month, when only elected party officials can vote.

The split was produced when the Democratic-controlled state government moved up the primary date to comply with Biden’s preferred overall primary calendar. However, the Republican Party’s rules prevent certain states from holding contests before March 1, so the Michigan GOP implemented a hybrid system to avoid being penalized by the national party.

State Republicans are also grappling with heightened uncertainty in the midst of a power struggle over the Michigan GOP.

Former Chair Kristina Karamo was ousted from her position earlier this year, with the Republican National Committee recognizing former Rep. Pete Hoekstra as the new state party leader. However, Karamo insists she’s still in charge and is suing.

Overall, however, Trump is the heavy favorite to win the primary. Haley has banked on possible crossover support, given that Democrats and independents can vote in the GOP primary, but the greater focus on Biden could draw their votes to that contest instead.

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(JUPITER, Fla.) — Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump, received and opened a letter containing an unidentified white powder Monday evening, sources tell ABC News.

A hazmat team visited Trump Jr.’s home in Jupiter, Florida, after he received the piece of mail, a source with knowledge of the incident told ABC News.

“The test results of the substance came up inconclusive on what it was exactly, but officials on the scene do not believe it is deadly,” a spokesperson for Trump Jr. said in a statement to ABC News.

The Jupiter Police Department did not immediately return ABC News’ request for comment.

This is the second known incident where the younger Trump has received an envelope containing a suspicious white powder.

In 2018, during the Trump’s presidency, Donald Trump Jr.’s then-wife Vanessa opened an envelope addressed to him and was rushed to the hospital as a precaution. A man from Massachusetts was subsequently arrested and sentenced to five years of probation in connection to sending numerous threatening letters containing suspicious powder to multiple high-profile individuals, including Trump.

The police said at the time that a preliminary test showed the substance was not dangerous.

Donald Trump Jr. has been on the campaign trail with his father, speaking at events in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in recent months.

He is also slated to appear at a major fundraiser for his father in Washington, D.C., next month alongside Trump’s allies in Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Sens. Steve Daines, Tim Scott and JD Vance.

The Daily Beast was the first to report the incident.

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(WASHINGTON) — Artificial Intelligence will be the “defining technology of our generation,” when it comes to the future of technology, but specifically the advancement of semiconductors in the United States, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Monday.

“You can’t lead on AI if you don’t believe in making leading-edge chips,” Raimondo said in remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “And so our work in implementing chips have just got a whole lot more important.”

The Commerce Department is tasked with implementing the CHIPS and Science Act — which spends nearly $53 billion to spur research in and development of America’s semiconductor industry. It is intended to address a nearly two-year global chip shortage that stemmed from supply chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Semiconductors are not only vital to everyday life used in household items like dishwashers and refrigerators, but also national defense items.

Raimondo said it takes “tens of thousands” of “leading edge semiconductor CHIPS” to train a large language model like ChatGPT.

In order for the United States to keep up with demand, the U.S. has to think not only short-term but long-term as well, Raimondo said.

“We need to make these chips in America, we need more tablets available in America,” she said. “We need more research and development in America. And we take a lot more manufacturing and scale.”

Other countries, like China, “aren’t shy” about the ambitions they have about making CHIPS.

“The Chinese are taking an increasingly ambitious role in increasing their own chip production,” she said.

The Secretary admitted that conversations with CHIP company CEO’s gunning for federal money aren’t always easy and that out of the 600 statements of interest they received, not everyone will get federal money.

“Our job is to make targeted investments in relentless pursuit of achieving our national security objectives,” she said.

Raimondo also said the Commerce Department is prioritizing CHIPs projects that’ll be operational by 2030.

“It’s not responsible to give money to a project that will come online you know, 10 or 12 years from now,” she said.

She said she is confident that the United States will make 20% of the world’s semiconductors by the end of the decade.

Raimondo said she wants to start training kids to manufacture chips starting in High School.

“We’re going to make building hardware sexy again,” she said.

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(WASHINGTON) — Congress started to return to Washington on Monday facing a familiar predicament: its back against the wall as the clock ticks down to renew funding for several key government agencies before a Friday deadline.

Absent action from both chambers, Congress is staring down a partial government shutdown at the end of the day Friday — its fourth time in as many months.

Funding for several key agencies will run out on Friday night, including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Transportation Department and the Veterans Administration. One week later, on March 8, funding for the remaining eight government agencies will expire if Congress fails to act.

Lawmakers still have time to intervene, and it’s not uncommon to reach a last-minute compromise.

But for the moment, there’s no clear plan for how to pass government funding bills as House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer remain at an impasse over how to proceed, despite ongoing talks between the two.

There was hope the parties would find government-funding clarity over the weekend. However, on Sunday night, with no plan yet it in place to prevent a Friday partial shutdown, congressional leaders instead issued statements sniping at one another.

“While we had hoped to have legislation ready this weekend that would give ample time for members to review the text, it is clear now that House Republicans need more time to sort themselves out,” Schumer wrote in a letter to his colleagues. “With the uncertainty of how the House will pass the appropriations bills and avoid a shutdown this week, I ask all Senators to keep their schedules flexible, so we can work to ensure a pointless and harmful lapse in funding doesn’t occur.”

Within hours of Schumer issuing his letter, Johnson shot back, calling out Schumer for using “counterproductive rhetoric” to get his message across. Johnson said the “the House has worked nonstop” to reach an agreement with the Senate on government funding bills ahead of the March 1 and 8 deadlines.

“This is not a time for petty politics. House Republicans will continue to work in good faith and hope to reach an outcome as soon as possible, even as we continue to insist that our own border security must be addressed immediately,” Johnson said in the statement.

At issue this time around: a House Republican desire to include certain policy provisions in the government funding bills that Democrats find objectionable — such as blocking the Biden administration’s climate-related initiatives and cutting funding for the World Health Organization and other United Nations’ agencies. Johnson was insistent that some of their provisions would make it in to the package after he conceded to an overall cost of the government funding bills that many in his own conference rejected.

But it’s not yet clear how the leaders will navigate through this standoff, and with just days left to act, lawmakers will likely have to pass another short-term funding bill if they hope to prevent a shutdown.

This is the fourth time since October that Congress has stared down a government-funding deadline. Congress has already passed legislation to buy itself more time to negotiate long-term funding bills on three separate occasions since then.

But each passing deadline ups the stakes. Ukraine aid, border security provisions, and Kevin McCarthy’s speakership have all been causalities of previous government-funding snafus.

This most recent government funding deadlock is the latest consequence of heightening political tensions in an election year.

Already, Johnson and Schumer are at loggerheads over a massive Ukraine aid package that the Senate passed earlier this month but that Johnson has said he won’t take up for consideration on the House floor, despite the fact that the legislation likely has the votes to pass the lower chamber.

With both issues now halting progress in Congress, President Joe Biden has called the top congressional leaders from both chambers to the White House on Tuesday.

The meeting is expected to focus both on the looming shutdown and on the funding bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

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(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley keeps losing to Donald Trump by double digits but the fact that the former president has only managed to reach 60% of the vote in the contested races so far should be taken as a warning sign, Haley said on Monday.

“Donald Trump as, technically, the Republican incumbent did not win 40% of the vote,” she said in a gaggle with reporters while on the trail one day before Michigan’s Republican primary. “So, what you are looking at is something is shifting and this has been happening for a while.”

Haley was reiterating an argument she has been making more and more, including the previous night in Troy, Michigan: that even though she has yet to win a state in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and her path to catching Trump looks all but gone, a notable minority of conservative voters are signalling that they want someone other than Trump and they deserve an alternative.

“I know 40% is not 50%, but I also know 40% is not some tiny group,” she said on Saturday after losing her home state of South Carolina.

“In the next 10 days, another 21 states and territories will speak. They have the right to a real choice, not a Soviet-style election with only one candidate,” Haley said then. “And I have a duty to give them that choice. We can’t afford four more years of [President Joe] Biden’s failures or Trump’s lack of focus.”

In Michigan on Monday, Haley pointed to the struggles the GOP has had in winning key state races in recent cycles and blamed Trump.

“The party is completely divided. And that’s not just Michigan. We are seeing that all over the country that the Republican Party is fully divided,” she said.

“You can’t win a general election if you don’t acknowledge the 40% of Republicans who are saying we don’t want Donald Trump,” she said.

“I am giving you every red flag I possibly can about the direction that the country is going,” Haley told reporters. “Now I just need people to hear it. I need states that are voting to act on it. And I need to see that we can stop this sinking ship before it takes off.”

The highest vote share Trump has gotten in a contested nominating race in a state so far this year was in South Carolina, with 60%. (He got 74% in the U.S. Virgin Islands caucuses.)

But in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, Haley got at least 40%.

While she has vowed to stay in the race, Trump — who emerged from a much more bruising 2016 primary fight to win the White House that year — has increasingly focused on a likely general election rematch against Biden.

“There’s never been a spirit like this,” he said on Saturday after winning in South Carolina. “And I just want to say that. I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now.”

Asked on Monday if she could name a state she could win in the nominating race, Haley deflected, saying: “wait and see.”

“We have 21 states and territories that are getting ready to happen. Why don’t we wait and see what happens? We don’t have to have a crystal ball and say this is going to happen or that’s going to happen,” she said.

Haley has several fundraisers happening in the days before Super Tuesday on March 5. Asked if that’s a sign she’s planning to stay in the race beyond that day, she touted her fundraising numbers.

“I can tell you that we raised $1 million in 24 hours after the election in South Carolina, that we are continuing to see the dollars come in because Americans want to voice and we’re giving them that voice,” she said, “and as long as Americans want me to be that voice, I will continue to fight for them as long as we think that there is an option.”

Asked by ABC News if her voters would go to Biden or not vote at all in the general election if she is not the Republican nominee, Haley made a blunt prediction.

“I think that if I’m not an alternative in this race, I think that Donald Trump will lose. It’s that simple,” she said.

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(WASHINGTON) — No one will be reprimanded for keeping Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospital stays a secret — including the secretary himself or his chief of staff — after an internal Pentagon review of the matter concluded there was no indication of “ill intent or an attempt to obfuscate” the situation.

An unclassifiedhttps://media.defense.gov/2024/Feb/26/2003400135/-1/-1/1/UNCLASSIFIED-S… text to link… of the Pentagon’s findings says concerns about medical privacy and a rapidly changing situation were mostly to blame. But the summary didn’t answer key questions about when individual members of his staff became aware of his condition and whether the defense secretary himself was advised to alert the White House but chose not to.

The Pentagon has provided additional classified details to Congress, officials said.

“As a learning organization, we will continue to learn and adjust,” Austin wrote in a memo to his staff.

The findings didn’t satisfy critics on Capitol Hill who say Austin and his top advisers had a duty to notify Congress, the White House, and the public when the secretary was unable to fulfill his duties.

Austin is expected to testify Thursday before the House Armed Services Committee.

“Unsurprisingly, the review of Sec Austin’s actions, conducted by his own subordinates & subject to his approval, HELD NO ONE ACCOUNTABLE,” tweeted Rep. Mike Rogers, the Alabama Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, following release of the review. “This is why we are conducting our own investigation. We will seek answers at our hearing w/ Sec Austin on Thursday.”

The defense secretary underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure for prostate cancer Dec. 22, which led to a urinary tract infection and serious intestinal complications. He was hospitalized again on Jan. 1, but the White House didn’t learn about either event until Jan. 4. He was released Jan. 5.

Austin’s deputy was granted authority over the Defense Department at various points, but she wasn’t told why she had been put in charge, according to a detailed account provided to lawmakers.

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Monday that there was never any gap in authority, and that it was clear who was in charge at every point during those two hospital stays.

“This was an unprecedented situation and the staff was using the process and procedures that they have employed previously, and again to the best of their abilities, ensuring … that there were no gaps in command and control,” Ryder said at a briefing Monday.

When pressed on the point that no one was going to be held accountable, Ryder said Austin has already accepted responsibility. Austin has said previously that he called the president to apologize but never at any point considered resigning.

Austin “recognizes that we should have done a much better job notifying those who should have been notified. I will say that the Secretary is very proud of the team that he has supporting him,” Ryder said.

The delay in informing President Biden and top administration officials of his hospitalization remains under investigation by lawmakers and the Pentagon’s inspector general, which is expected to release a separate report later this year. President Biden publicly faulted Austin for not informing him earlier, telling reporters last month he still had confidence in Austin, but noted it was a lapse in judgment.

Austin told reporters earlier this month that his cancer diagnosis was a “gut punch” and that his first instinct was to keep it private. That was a mistake, he said.

“We did not handle this right. I did not handle this right,” Austin said.

ABC’s Matt Seyler and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — Are Facebook, Instagram and YouTube more like newspaper publishers or telephone companies?

The Supreme Court on Monday was wrestling with that question in a pair of cases being called the most important tests of the First Amendment in the internet era.

The justices’ answer could be critical to setting the terms of online speech for generations.

Florida and Texas each passed laws in 2021 ordering social media platforms to limit content moderation (e.g. removing or devaluing certain posts, at their discretion) and requiring them to issue notice and explanation any time a user’s content is removed or account suspended.

Both laws were enacted following the platforms’ decisions banning then-President Donald Trump after Jan. 6 and conservatives’ longstanding concerns about the sites’ censorship of content based on politics.

The states argue that social media platforms are akin to “common carriers,” like utility companies, which are subject to government regulation, and must accept all users’ content regardless of viewpoint.

But the internet companies insist they have the right to set their own standards, like any other publisher, and cannot be forced to host messages on their platforms that they don’t support, such as hate speech, misinformation and other malicious content.

Federal appeals courts have divided on the question: one striking down Florida’s law as a violation of the First Amendment, another upholding Texas’ law as permissible government intervention.

The nation’s high court is expected to deliver a decision in the cases by the end of June.

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