JAMES MATTIS

A federal judge on Friday will decide whether disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes should serve a lengthy prison sentence for duping investors and endangering patients while peddling a bogus blood-testing technology.

Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for duping investors in the failed startup that promised to revolutionize blood testing but instead made her a symbol of Silicon Valley ambition that veered into deceit.

James Mattis condemned "the immoral, the tactically incompetent, operationally stupid and strategically foolish effort" of Russia's war with Ukraine.

Jim Mattis was married in a Las Vegas ceremony.

The fate of hard-nosed technology executive Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani is now in the hands of a jury that will weigh criminal charges alleging he joined disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, his former partner, in an elaborate fraud that jarred Silicon Valley.

The fraud conviction of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes could do more than just send a once-celebrated billionaire to prison for years.

The jury that will weigh 11 charges of fraud and conspiracy against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes finally got the case late Friday after a three-month trial that captivated Silicon Valley.

The decision to have Holmes testify so early in her defense was a bombshell development with considerable risk.

Prosecutors rested their case against Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, and the focus now moves to the defense.

A jury weighing the fate of fallen Silicon Valley star Elizabeth Holmes has had its first chance to listen to recordings of her boasting to investors about purported breakthroughs in blood-testing technology.

A jury weighing the fate of fallen Silicon Valley star Elizabeth Holmes got its first chance Friday to listen to recordings of her boasting to investors about purported breakthroughs in a blood-testing technology. The drama unfolded in a San Jose, California, courtroom with federal prosecutors playing a series of recordings from a December 2013 conference call that Holmes held with investors in Theranos, the company she started in 2003 after dropping out of college at 19 in hopes of becoming a revered visionary in the mold of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The audio clips of Holmes capped the sixth week of a high-profile trial revolving around allegations that Holmes duped sophisticated investors and major retailers with bogus promises about a Theranos device dubbed Edison.

Gen. Mark Milley has been the target of more political intrigue in two years as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff than any of his recent predecessors were in four.

General James Mattis joined the Theranos board in 2013, believing its blood-testing tech would save lives of troops in battle.

James Mattis said Holmes misled him into believing she was on the verge of rolling out a blood-testing breakthrough that he hoped would help save lives of troops in battle.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who served on Theranos' board of directors, testified he was "disappointed at the level of transparency" from CEO Elizabeth Holmes.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis testified Wednesday in the trial of fallen tech star Elizabeth Holmes, saying the entrepreneur misled him into believing she was on the verge of rolling out a blood-testing breakthrough that he hoped would help save lives of troops in battle.

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis testified Wednesday at Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial about his $85,000 investment and Theranos' military pilot.

The president made a very nice speech at the United Nations, but it won’t matter much unless his words are backed by a credible threat of force.

Elizabeth Holmes once seemed destined to fulfill her dream of becoming Silicon Valley's next superstar.

A jury is being assembled to decide the fate of Elizabeth Holmes, a former Silicon Valley star facing felony charges of duping her elite financial backers and a high-powered board of directors into believing she had invented a revolutionary blood-testing technology that could detect hundreds of diseases with a finger prick.

SILENCE SPEAKS VOLUMES: So far, there has been no public comment from Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley in response to a book by two Washington Post reporters detailing Milley’s fear that in his final days in office, President Donald Trump would issue unconstitutional orders to the military in an attempt to stay in power.

KALAMAZOO, MI – Fire destroyed an abandoned commercial building on Mills Street off East Michigan Avenue. The fire was reported at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, June 20, at 20 Mills Street. After firefighters brought the fire under control, they used thermal-imaging cameras to look for possible victims. The fire was under control in about 45 minutes but firefighters remained on the scene several hours putting out small fires. An excavator was brought in to open up the structure so firefighters could reach areas that had been inaccessible.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Retired Gen. James Mattis is set to receive the Vandenberg Prize from the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan during a virtual event Monday, June 21. The event, which the public can view online, will also feature a conversation on the military, diplomacy and global engagement moderated by U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids Township. Vandenberg, who died in 1951, was also the editor and publisher of the Grand Rapids Herald from 1906 until 1928. Also during Monday’s meeting, the council will present the annual Hillman-Orr Award to the late Ambassador, philanthropist and businessman Peter F. Secchia. “There was no hesitation among the board of directors about this year’s Hillman-Orr Award,” council board president Dick Gauthier said in a statement.

FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2020, file photo, U.S. and South Korean army soldiers stand guard during South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young's visit to Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. President Donald Trump had demanded South Korea pay billions more to keep American troops on its soil. Initially, Trump insisted the South Korean government pay five times as much as it previously had. The South Korean government refused. In addition to trying to squeeze more money out of Seoul, Trump had questioned the need for U.S. military exercises with South Korea, calling them wasteful and an affront to North Korea.

They bolstered their case with accounts from the rioters themselves, some of whom said they were acting on Trump's orders. The former president's defense team insists Trump's speech near the White House was protected under the First Amendment. And they argue he shouldn't be on trial in the Senate because he is no longer in office — an argument Democrats reject. To underscore their point, Democrats showed videos using rioters own words. Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said he expects the defense will wrap up in less than a day.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, greets Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist as he arrives at the Pentagon, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in Washington. Biden is expected to win approval for others on his national security team in coming days, including Antony Blinken as secretary of state. Before heading to the Pentagon, Austin wrote on Twitter that he is especially proud to be the first Black secretary of defense. Austin retired in 2016 after serving as the first Black general to head U.S. Central Command. The House and the Senate approved the waiver Thursday, clearing the way for the Senate confirmation vote.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, confirmed that the confirmation vote on Austin would be conducted Friday. Austin, a 41-year veteran of the Army, has promised to surround himself with qualified civilians and include them in policy decisions. Many of them opposed a similar waiver in 2017 for Jim Mattis, former President Donald Trump's first secretary of defense. He emphasized on Tuesday that he will follow Biden’s lead in giving renewed attention to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. As a career Army officer, Austin had little reason to learn the intricacies of nuclear policy, since the Army has no nuclear weapons.

President-elect Joe Bidens pick for national intelligence director Avril Haines arrives for a confirmation hearing before the Senate intelligence committee on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Washington. Neither Blinken nor Biden's other nominees for national security Cabinet posts encountered substantial opposition Tuesday. “When it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics — ever,” she told the Senate Intelligence Committee. The House majority leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer, indicated Tuesday that the full House would consider an Austin waiver bill on Thursday. Like Blinken, Austin said he views China as the leading international issue facing Biden's national security team.

But the violent siege on Capitol Hill offers a new, and perhaps final, moment of reckoning for the GOP. Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, White House social secretary Rickie Niceta and deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews also resigned, according to officials. Before they left, a handful of Republican senators and more than 100 Republican House members were set to oppose the vote to certify Biden's victory. Anthony Scaramucci, who served briefly as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017, often has harsh words for Trump. But he offered his harshest on Wednesday for Trump’s Republican enablers.

WASHINGTON – Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Wednesday evening placed the blame squarely on President Donald Trump for the riot that ensued on the U.S. Capitol. "Today's violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump," Mattis wrote in a statement. Mattis, who served as Trump's first Defense secretary, said the president has used the nation's highest role in government to "destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens." The ensuing civil unrest, some of which turned violent, prompted Trump to call for governors to use harsher tactics and greater force when confronting protesters. Instead, he tries to divide us," Mattis wrote in a scathing statement published by The Atlantic.

Following the Nov. 3 election and subsequent recounts in some states, as well as unsuccessful court challenges, the outcome is clear, they wrote, while not specifying Trump in the article. The former Pentagon chiefs warned against use of the military in any effort to change the outcome. “Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory,” they wrote. Biden has complained of efforts by Trump-appointed Pentagon officials to obstruct the transition. In reversing himself, Miller cited “recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials.” He did not elaborate, and the Pentagon did not respond to questions.

Following the Nov. 3 election and subsequent recounts in some states, as well as unsuccessful court challenges, the outcome is clear, they wrote, while not specifying Trump in the article. The former Pentagon chiefs warned against use of the military in any effort to change the outcome. “Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory,” they wrote. Biden has complained of efforts by Trump-appointed Pentagon officials to obstruct the transition. In reversing himself, Miller cited “recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials.” He did not elaborate, and the Pentagon did not respond to questions.

Retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the Biden administrations choice to be secretary of defense, speaks at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. Well, today I’m learning about Twitter,” Austin, 67, tweeted mid-morning. Under the law, a service member must be out of uniform for at least seven years before serving as defense secretary. Austin retired in 2016. Austin's Twitter video treads a careful line between touting his military career and emphasizing his current status as a civilian.

“For all four years, this is someone who at every opportunity tried to stretch presidential power beyond the limits of the law,” said presidential historian Michael Beschloss. I think he’s done tremendous damage in the last several weeks.”Jeopardizing the peaceful transfer of power was hardly Trump's first assault on the traditions of the presidency. He rage tweeted at members of his own party and used government property for political purposes, including the White House as the backdrop for his renomination acceptance speech. Trump used National Guard troops to clear a largely peaceful protest across from the White House for a photo-op. He held superspreader events at the White House and contracted the virus himself.

Retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the Biden administrations choice to be secretary of defense, speaks at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. In the past, they’ve opposed naming recently retired military officers to a post typically occupied by civilians, yet they don't want to defy their party's incoming president nor be seen as blocking history. Before announcing that he'd settled on Austin, Biden was facing pressure from activists over a lack of diversity in some of the key posts of the Cabinet he was building. Now the Mattis period at the Pentagon is viewed by some as an argument against waiving the rule again. Thankfully, Biden is neither, so the circumstances don’t support a waiver.”___Weissert, Burns and Mascaro reported from Washington.

Biden countered the concerns by arguing that Austin knows that a Pentagon chief's duties are different from those of a military officer. But the requirement for a congressional waiver makes getting him installed as Pentagon chief more complicated than usual. Austin retired in 2016 after 41 years in the Army and has never held a political position. Some prominent Democrats opposed the Mattis waiver, and among those who voted for it, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island expressed doubts. Biden has known Austin at least since the general's years leading U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq while Biden was vice president.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin to be secretary of defense, according to four people familiar with the decision. Biden selected Austin over the longtime front-runner candidate, Michele Flournoy, a former senior Pentagon official and Biden supporter who would have been the first woman to serve as defense secretary. Biden also had considered Jeh Johnson, a former Pentagon general counsel and former secretary of homeland defense. Like Mattis, Austin would need to obtain a congressional waiver to serve as defense secretary. When Austin retired in 2016, Obama praised his “character and competence,” as well as his judgment and leadership.

In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, Vice Adm. Sam Paparo speaks to sailors about the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima off Mayport, Florida, Sept. 20, 2017. Navy via AP)DUBAI – The top U.S. Navy official in the Mideast said Sunday that America has reached an “uneasy deterrence” with Iran after months of regional attacks and seizures at sea, even as tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. He described having a “healthy respect” for both Iran’s regular navy and the naval forces of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. “We have achieved an uneasy deterrence. That uneasy deterrence is exacerbated by world events and by events along the way,” the vice admiral said.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks following the ceremonial swearing-in of James Mattis as secretary of defense on January 27, 2017, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threatened again on Thursday to veto a colossal defense bill if lawmakers do not include a measure eliminating legal protections for social media companies. The NDAA, which typically passes with overwhelming bipartisan support and veto-proof majorities, is a sweeping defense bill that authorizes a topline of $740 billion in spending and outlines Pentagon policy. The bill could have enough bipartisan support for Congress to override Trump's veto if he makes good on his threat. Earlier this year, Trump said he would veto the measure if it included language on changing U.S. military installations named after Confederate generals.

President-elect Joe Bidens first wave of Cabinet picks and choices for his White House staff have prized staying power over star power, with a premium placed on government experience and proficiency as he looks to rebuild a depleted and demoralized federal bureaucracy. President-elect Joe Biden has prized staying power over star power when making his first wave of Cabinet picks and choices for White House staff, with a premium placed on government experience and proficiency as he looks to rebuild a depleted and demoralized federal bureaucracy. “Collectively, this team has secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory — made possible through decades of experience working with our partners,” Biden said Tuesday as he unveiled his national security team. His choice for national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, was the deputy to that post under President Barack Obama. ___EDITOR'S NOTE — Jonathan Lemire has covered the White House and national politics for The Associated Press since 2013.

Flournoy, a politically moderate Pentagon veteran, is regarded by U.S. officials and political insiders as a top choice for President-elect Joe Bide to choose to head the Pentagon. Michele Flournoy, a politically moderate Pentagon veteran, is regarded by U.S. officials and political insiders as a top choice for the position. If confirmed, Flournoy would face a future that is expected to involve shrinking Pentagon budgets and potential military involvement in the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine. She has been outspoken on American foreign and defense policy, particularly over the past year. The Defense Department is one of three Cabinet agencies — the others being Treasury and Veterans Affairs — that have never been led by a woman.

President Donald Trump has fired Esper. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday, an unprecedented move by a president struggling to accept election defeat and angry at a Pentagon leader he believes wasn't loyal enough. I would like to thank him for his service.”In a letter to Trump, Esper referred to his efforts to keep the Pentagon apolitical -- a resistance that often angered Trump. Esper didn't thank Trump, but he also did not openly criticize the president or his policies. “President Trump’s decision to fire Secretary Esper out of spite is not just childish, it’s also reckless.”Former military leaders also weighed in.

“People need to understand how dangerous a moment we are in.”There are plenty of others weighing the same decision. But Mattis and Coats, like former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former national security adviser H.R. The White House punched back with an aggressive attack campaign aimed at discrediting her through a barrage of statements, interviews and denunciations from the lectern in the White House briefing room. “The White House knows if they show this is a very costly thing to do they will scare people from going forward," he said. He added that while more people are still considering coming forward, the White House tactics have worked to some extent — dissuading one senior official who had been on the cusp of speaking out.

WASHINGTON – Federal officials intercepted an envelope addressed to the White House that contained the poison ricin, a U.S. law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Saturday. A preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans, the U.S. official said. The U.S. official was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Federal investigators were working to determine where the enveloped originated and who mailed it. In 2014, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after sending letters dusted with ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials.

As he engaged in nuclear arms talks with Kim, Trump dismissed intelligence officials' assessments that North Korea would never give up its nuclear weapons. Trump told Woodward that the CIA has no idea how to handle Pyongyang. Critics said that by meeting Kim, Trump provided the North Korean leader with legitimacy on the world stage. Kim wrote to Trump that he believed the deep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force." But the sources did not provide details and told Woodward, according to the book, that they were surprised Trump had disclosed it.

The relationship between the nation's military community and the Republican president has been strained repeatedly over the course of Trump's turbulent first term. Trump's relationship with the nation's military community has been frequently strained. Biden leaned into the debate Tuesday, calling the Trump administration's handling of the Russian intelligence an absolute dereliction of duty." Erik Hendriks lost his 25-year-old son in an April 2019 attack that intelligence officials believe may be tied to the Russian bounties. He admitted, however, that many of his close friends from the military community continue to support Trump.

President Donald Trump points during his campaign rally at the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, June 20, 2020. The political world was genuinely surprised to see thousands of empty seats at Trump's comeback rally in Oklahoma over the weekend. And perhaps more importantly, the finger-pointing inside Trump's campaign will intensify ahead of a possible staff shakeup. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election. ___Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game.

Addressing newly minted officers graduating from West Point last Saturday, Trump said, We are ending the era of endless wars. In targeting Germany, Trump cast his troop cut not as an improvement for U.S. national security but as economic punishment for Germany. This is the kind of antagonism toward allies that bothered Trump's first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, so much that he quit. At the time of his resignation in December 2018, Mattis was upset by Trump's sudden decision later amended to remove all American troops from Syria, abandoning their Kurdish partners. In Congress, Republicans as well as Democrats have answered Trump's Germany announcement with strong caution.

And now Lafayette Square. Trump had briefly been forced to take shelter in the emergency White House bunker and flames had risen from St. Johns Church across from the executive mansion. Lafayette Square was ordered to be cleared. The White House quickly produced a slick ad celebrating the triumph. Some observers believe Trump may be able to cast aside Lafayette Square too.

(Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP, FIle)WASHINGTON The first openly gay Army secretary says hes supporting Joe Biden for president, the latest endorsement from a former military leader who had criticized President Donald Trump over his handling of anti-racism demonstrations. Eric Fanning, who held a variety of Navy and Air Force civilian positions and was Army secretary from 2016 to 2017, on Wednesday cited Bidens empathy and integrity in engaging with members of the military. The next president faces a monumental task: repairing our damaged democracy and our eroded moral leadership around the world, Fanning said in his announcement. Joe Bidens leadership in steering repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell ensured that E.J. Others, including former defense secretary Jim Mattis, have criticized Trumps leadership.

Walking behind Trump from left are, Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley crafted a low public profile in his first eight months on the job, but that changed after the walk. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)WASHINGTON In his first eight months as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley carefully crafted a low-key public profile. He knew that splashy and sassy were unlikely to endear him to his boss, President Donald Trump. Milley is known in the military as a charismatic leader who commanded troops during several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

FILE - In this June 1, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump arrives to speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Trump has remained largely silent on that, except to argue that a strong economy is the best antidote. Sometimes youll see some horrible things like we witnessed recently," he said, referring to Floyd's death at a White House meeting Monday with law enforcement officials. Before his 2016 run, Trump spent years pushing the false claim that President Barack Obama, the nations only black president, was not born in the United States. The fact is the mainstream media wont give the president the credit he deserves for improving lives in the black community, Scott said.

Trump has remained largely silent on that, except to argue that a strong economy is the best antidote. But those who flooded the streets after Floyds death want to know what he plans to address the systemic racism they believe is at fault and what Trump himself believes. Sometimes youll see some horrible things like we witnessed recently," he said, referring to Floyd's death at a White House meeting Monday with law enforcement officials. Before his 2016 run, Trump spent years pushing the false claim that President Barack Obama, the nations only black president, was not born in the United States. The fact is the mainstream media wont give the president the credit he deserves for improving lives in the black community, Scott said.

WASHINGTON Utah Sen. Mitt Romney on Monday became the latest prominent Republican to cast doubt on his support for President Donald Trump's reelection, saying he would stay quiet about whom he'll be supporting in November. Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, told reporters on Capitol Hill that I'm not going to be describing who I'll be voting for." In 2016, Romney said publicly that he would support neither Trump nor Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The relationship between Trump and Romney is acrimonious. Romney was the only GOP senator to support removing Trump from office after the president's impeachment trial earlier this year.

Barrs comments in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday were his most detailed explanation yet of what unfolded outside the White House earlier this week. They come after the White House and others said repeatedly that the attorney general ordered officers to clear the park. Earlier in the week, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters it was Barr who made the decision to push back the security perimeter outside the White House on Monday morning. Barr said it was a Park Police tactical commander an official he never spoke to who gave the order for the law enforcement agencies to move in and clear the protesters. Members of the National Guard were present but didn't engage with the protesters, Barr said.

He later watched with dismay Trump's hard-line response to the police killing of George Floyd and the civil unrest that followed. Lund, who is white, now plans to vote a straight Democratic ticket and rejects any effort by Trump to put a silver lining on the nation's pain. "Even the most die-hard Trump supporters are exhausted.Trump is leading a nation grappling with unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression. She said she wasn't going to support Trump before Floyds death but is now considering recruiting new Democratic voters. But back in Wisconsin, a state Trump narrowly carried four years ago, the restaurant worker Lund isn't so sure.

WASHINGTON WASHINGTON (AP) Freshman Sen. Tom Cotton has risen to the ranks of potential 2024 Republican presidential contenders by making all the right enemies. By lining up behind President Donald Trumps law-and-order recipe for controlling civic unrest, hes making even more. Representing a state that has turned increasingly Republican in recent years, Cotton faces reelection in November with no Democratic opponent. Senator Cotton is standing with President Trump to take on China and keep America great, the announcer says. Hes a really serious guy.Cotton served one House term before being elected to the Senate in 2014, defeating Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor.

WASHINGTON Scores of retired military and defense leaders are denouncing President Donald Trump and accusing him of using the U.S. Armed Forces to undermine the rights of Americans protesting police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. The condemnation Friday came in an op-ed in The Washington Post, signed by 89 former defense officials, and in a letter in support of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, signed by 55 retired military leaders. The president also threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy federal troops to quell the protests. In the letter released by the Biden campaign, leaders including retired Gen. Merrill McPeak, an Air Force chief of staff in the 1990s, call on Trump to stop tarnishing the military by deploying its forces against peaceful protesters. Those of us who have served believe the greatness of our military -- and the greatness of our nation -- depends upon the calls for change in the streets today becoming votes for change in November, the 55 military leaders wrote.

Barrs comments in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday were his most detailed explanation yet of what unfolded outside the White House earlier this week. They come after the White House and others said repeatedly that the attorney general ordered officers to clear the park. Earlier in the week, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters it was Barr who made the decision to push back the security perimeter outside the White House on Monday morning. Barr said it was a Park Police tactical commander an official he never spoke to who gave the order for the law enforcement agencies to move in and clear the protesters. Members of the National Guard were present but didn't engage with the protesters, Barr said.

FILE - In this April 1, 2020, file photo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. But he has stayed closely aligned with the president's national security policies and kept in his good graces. The possibility of using the Insurrection Act, which has not been invoked since the 1992 rioting in Los Angeles, had been discussed in the White House but never explicitly proposed publicly by Trump. The president has suggested he would use all available military force, however, if state governors couldn't stop the violence. Asked Wednesday about Esper's standing with Trump, the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, offered something less than a ringing endorsement.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press that the decision was reversed after Esper's visit to the White House. Helmeted forces formed a ring around Lafayette Park across from the White House. The clampdown followed a weekend of demonstrations outside the White House. He was also angry about the news coverage revealing he had gone to the secure White House bunker during Fridays protests. Trump on Wednesday acknowledged he visited the bunker Friday but claimed he was only conducting an inspection as protests raged outside the White House gates.

The most serious new charge Wednesday was an accusation of second-degree murder against Derek Chauvin, who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyds neck. The three other officers at the scene were charged for the first time with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Protests were still big, but largely peaceful in California, where NBA stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson marched with protesters in Oakland. The new second-degree murder charge alleges that Chauvin caused Floyds death without intent while committing another felony, namely third-degree assault. The protests have also taken root overseas, including in Athens, London, Helsinki, Rotterdam and Bogota, among other cities.

FILE - In this April 1, 2020, file photo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. The president has suggested he would use all available military force, however, if state governors couldn't stop the violence. Asked Wednesday about Esper's standing with Trump, the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, offered something less than a ringing endorsement. He became Trumps second Pentagon chief after his first, retired Gen. Jim Mattis, resigned in December 2018 in a policy dispute. Milley, the Joint Chiefs chairman, also has taken heat from critics for his role in managing the response to the protests.

The criticism was all the more remarkable because Mattis has generally kept a low profile since retiring as defense secretary in December 2018 to protest Trump's Syria policy. But hes speaking out after this past weeks protests in response to the death of George Floyd in police custody. Mattis called on Americans to "unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. Mattis said of the protesters that Americans should not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution," Mattis said.

WASHINGTON Amazon is seeking to depose President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Defense Secretary James Mattis over a $10 billion Pentagon cloud contract awarded to Microsoft. In November, Amazon filed a notice in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims indicating a plan to protest the Pentagon's decision to award Microsoft the multibillion-dollar cloud contract. Amazon said in court documents made public last December that Trump launched "behind-the-scenes attacks" against the company, which caused it to lose out on the JEDI contract. "Moreover, President Trump has unique knowledge about whether he had other, previously undisclosed conversations with individuals not previously identified, and who therefore do not appear on the deposition list." Esper announced last August that he would review the JEDI contract and recused himself from the JEDI source selection process last October.

Hassan Rouhani, Iran's president, pauses whilst speaking during a news conference in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. Bloomberg | Getty ImagesWASHINGTON The U.S. will impose a fresh round of sanctions on Iran's largest shipping company and biggest airline, the nation's top diplomat announced Wednesday. The sanctions on Mahan Air, however, will take immediate effect. Earlier this year, Germany and France announced a ban on Mahan Air, in part, alleging the firm transports Iranian weapons and personnel to Syria. An airplane of Mahan Air sits at the tarmac after landing at Sanaa International Airport in the Yemeni capital on March 1, 2015.

President Donald Trump welcomes James Mattis as they pose for a photo before their meeting at Trump International Golf Club, in Bedminster Township, New Jersey. An upcoming book on James Mattis' tenure as secretary of Defense claims President Donald Trump told Mattis to "screw Amazon" out of a $10 billion cloud contract for the Pentagon. The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, contract was awarded to Microsoft late Friday evening, sending shares of Microsoft stock up more than 3%. Early in the process market leader Amazon was seen as the favorite, then President Trump said in July that he was looking into the contract after companies protested the bidding process. In the summer of 2018, President Trump called Mattis and directed him to "screw Amazon" out of a chance to bid on the JEDI contract, according to the forthcoming book "Holding The Line: Inside Trump's Pentagon with Secretary Mattis."

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis hit back at his old boss at a white-tie gala in New York on Thursday, saying that he's not just an overrated general, he's the greatest overrated general. "I'm honored to be considered that by Donald Trump because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actress," he joked. The retired Marine general Mattis resigned as defense secretary last December after Trump said he intended to pull 2,000 American troops out of Syria. But he broke that silence at the laughter-filled gala, saying that the "overrated general" jab didn't bother him. I earned my spurs on the battlefield ... And Donald Trump earned his spurs in a letter from a doctor."

Defense Secretary James Mattis waits outside of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., April 23, 2018. Former Defense Secretary James Mattis was elected to the board of directors of the defense contracting giant General Dynamics on Wednesday, the company said. "We are honored to have him on our board." Mattis previously served on the General Dynamics board of directors before joining the Trump administration in 2017 to become the 26th secretary of defense. Mattis, a Marine veteran, left the Trump administration in a shock resignation in December one day after President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria.