Mark Esper
Today in History

By The Associated Press Jun. 03, 2021 12:00 AM EDT
Today in History Today is Thursday, June 3, the 154th day of 2021. There are 211 days left in the year. Today’s...

Secretary of Defense nominee Lloyd Austin, a recently retired Army general, speaks during his conformation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Washington. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP)
Congress poised for quick action on Biden's Pentagon nominee

By Robert Burns And Andrew Taylor Jan. 21, 2021 02:15 PM EST

FILE - This March 27, 2008 file photo shows the Pentagon in Washington. In a first for the Pentagon's push to develop defenses against intercontinental-range ballistic missiles capable of striking the United States, a missile interceptor launched from a U.S. Navy ship at sea hit and destroyed a mock ICBM in flight on Tuesday, officials said. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
Top Pentagon official tests positive for coronavirus

By Lolita C. Baldor Nov. 19, 2020 10:47 PM EST

Editorial Roundup: US

By The Associated Press Nov. 18, 2020 04:32 PM EST
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: ___ Nov. 17 The Minneapolis Star...

FILE - In this Sept.14, 2020, file photo released by India Government Press Information Bureau, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the media as he arrives at the Parliament in New Delhi, India. Modi held his first phone conversation with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, and they agreed to work closely to further advance the Indo-U.S. comprehensive global strategic partnership, India’s External Affairs Ministry said Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. (India Government Press Information Bureau via AP, File)
Biden, Modi discuss US-India ties in phone conversation

Nov. 17, 2020 09:19 PM EST

President-elect Joe Biden and Jill Biden, attend a service at the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in Philadelphia.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump's silent public outing belies White House in tumult

By Jonathan Lemire, Zeke Miller And Aamer Madhani Nov. 12, 2020 12:17 AM EST

President Donald Trump participates in a Veterans Day wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Trump's silent public outing belies White House in tumult

By Jonathan Lemire, Zeke Miller And Aamer Madhani Nov. 11, 2020 06:09 PM EST

President-elect Joe Biden and Jill Biden, attend a service at the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Biden pushes forward on transition despite Trump's blocking

By Steve Peoples And Will Weissert Nov. 11, 2020 12:13 AM EST

President-elect Joe Biden speaks Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The Latest: Lincoln Project taking on GOP-linked law firms

Nov. 10, 2020 02:59 PM EST

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives as Senate Republicans hold leadership elections, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
GOP lets Trump fight election for weeks despite Biden's win

By Lisa Mascaro Nov. 10, 2020 01:42 PM EST

Landscapers work on replacing the lawn of the White House, Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
GOP backs Trump as he fights election results, transition

By Jonathan Lemire And Zeke Miller Nov. 10, 2020 12:12 AM EST

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2020, file photoSecretary of Defense Mark Esper speaks before a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, at the Pentagon in Washington. President Donald Trump has fired Esper. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Refusing to concede, Trump blocks cooperation on transition

By Jonathan Lemire And Zeke Miller Nov. 09, 2020 07:03 PM EST

Here is the latest news from The Associated Press at 1:40 p.m. EST

Nov. 09, 2020 01:49 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he has fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper. It's a stunning move on the heels of Trump’s failed reelection bid. It...

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sen. Kelly Loeffler fist bumps supporters at an election night watch party in Atlanta, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Loeffler will be in a run off against Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock. (AP Photo/Tami Chappell)
The Latest: International observers see no fraud in US vote

Nov. 09, 2020 07:50 AM EST

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh gesture with their elbows before a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. Pompeo is wrapping up an anti-China tour of Asia in Vietnam as the fierce American presidential election race enters its final stretch. (Bui Lam Khanh/VNA via AP)
Pompeo wraps up anti-China tour of Asia in Vietnam

By Matthew Lee Oct. 29, 2020 08:27 PM EDT

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greets the gathering before his meeting with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapksa in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Pompeo plans to press Sri Lanka to push back against Chinese assertiveness, which U.S. officials complain is highlighted by predatory lending and development projects that benefit China more than the presumed recipients. The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka denounced Pompeo’s visit to the island even before he arrived there, denouncing a senior U.S. official’s warning that the country should be wary of Chinese investment. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, Pool)
Pompeo brings anti-China roadshow to Indian Ocean islands

By Matthew Lee Oct. 27, 2020 11:21 PM EDT

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper arrive to pay their tributes at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. In talks on Tuesday with their Indian counterparts, Pompeo and Esper are to sign an agreement expanding military satellite information sharing and highlight strategic cooperation between Washington and New Delhi with an eye toward countering China. (Jewel Samad/Pool via AP)
Pompeo, Esper drive US anti-China message in India visit

By Matthew Lee Oct. 27, 2020 05:46 AM EDT

FILE - This March 27, 2008, file photo shows the Pentagon in Washington. The specter of election chaos in the United States is raising questions about whether voting, vote-counting or the post-vote reaction could become so chaotic that the military would intervene. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
Army: No requests made for use of troops around election

By Lolita C. Baldor Oct. 13, 2020 04:19 PM EDT

FILE - This March 27, 2008, file photo shows the Pentagon in Washington. The specter of election chaos in the United States is raising questions about whether voting, vote-counting or the post-vote reaction could become so chaotic that the military would intervene. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
Specter of election chaos raises questions on military role

By Robert Burns And Lolita C. Baldor Oct. 10, 2020 01:03 AM EDT

In this image provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, then-Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Gary L. Thomas, deputy on Aug. 8, 2016. Thomas, now the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, has tested positive for the coronavirus, days after he and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were in a Pentagon meeting with a Coast Guard leader who was infected with the virus. (Lance Cpl. Paul A. Ochoa/Marine Corps via AP)
Marine general has COVID after Pentagon meeting

By Lolita C. Baldor Oct. 07, 2020 08:33 PM EDT