Pope Francis, who was admitted to the hospital on February 14 for pneumonia in both lungs, or “double pneumonia,” remains in critical condition, according to the Vatican. A Sunday statement from the Vatican Press Office said that the 88-year-old pontiff remained “alert and well-oriented,” and participated in Mass on Sunday morning.

The key criteria for those in the top-tier positions appear to be loyalty, wealth, and ideological fervor, not competence.

The review could set the stage for Defense Secretary Hegseth to follow through with goals to invest more in the Asia-Pacific and prioritize securing the U.S. border with Mexico, along with other reforms.

The pushback from appointees of President Donald Trump marked a new level of chaos and confusion within the beleaguered federal workforce

"There are opportunities for certain technologies from less than trustworthy sources to make it under the fence," said David Schild.

Trump’s shakeup of Washington reached the Pentagon on Friday as he fired several top military leaders, including Air Force Gen. CQ Brown as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump selected retired Air Force Lt.

A senior Pentagon official said that money saved through the cuts could be “realigned” to other defense priorities that President Donald Trump has.

The Pentagon is reportedly preparing lists of weapons programs it wants to cancel to coincide with Elon Musk's potential cuts.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday he wanted to increase overall U.S. defense spending and played down concerns over a pending audit by Elon Musk aimed at finding billions of dollars in waste at the Pentagon.