Trump “Terminated” Defense Secretary Mark Esper
Ssgt. Jack Sanders/Defense Department For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.Mark Esper was fired as defense secretary on Monday, becoming one of the first casualties of President Donald Trump’s post-election purge of officials seen as insufficiently loyal to him. Esper’s ouster had been rumored…
If Trump Loves Hypersonic Missiles So Much, He Really Should Learn How To Pronounce Their Name
Win McNamee/Getty For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.Donald Trump really seems to like hypersonic missiles, an elusive, high-speed weapon that poses problems for even the most sophisticated air defense systems. He likes them so much that the military asked for $3.2 billion from…
A Top Coast Guard Official Has the Coronavirus. Other Military Leaders Are in Quarantine.
Alex Wong/Getty For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.Admiral Charles Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to quarantine at home, the Coast Guard announced Monday. Ray, who is the second-highest-ranking military official in the Coast…
Trump Used to Regularly Brag About Giving Money to the Pentagon. Now He’s Lashing Out at the Defense Industry.
Mark Wilson/Getty For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.On Monday, President Trump delivered one of his most baffling lines yet at a White House news conference. Asked again about the Atlantic story detailing his disparagement of wounded veterans and soldiers who died in war, Trump said…
New Poll: Trump’s Popularity Among the Military Is Eroding
Alex Wong/Getty For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.Donald Trump’s popularity with members of the military is at an all-time low, according to the findings of a Military Times poll released Monday. Nearly 50 percent of troops view him unfavorably and more than 43…
Lockheed Earned a Profit During the Pandemic. Now Congress Wants It to Pay for Faulty Fighter Jets.
The F-35, Lockheed Martin’s signature product, is the most expensive government weapons program in history.George Frey/Getty For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.It’s been quite a week for Lockheed Martin. On Tuesday, the financial news outlet Barron’s dubbed the giant defense contractor a “pandemic star,” after its quarterly earnings came in…