Feb 28, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump to nominate Kenneth Braithwaite as Navy secretary

Orion Rummler

Trump waves at the Army-Navy game in Dec. 2019 in Philadelphia PA. Photo: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

President Trump on Friday formally announced his intent to nominate current U.S. Ambassador to Norway Kenneth Braithwaite as Navy secretary.

Flashback: Trump first floated Braithwaite's nomination in November after ousted Navy Secretary Richard Spencer reportedly told the White House that he would ensure ex-Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher — who was acquitted of war crimes and had a minor charge cleared by Trump — could retire as a SEAL as long as White House officials did not intervene.

What they're saying:

"Ambassador Braithwaite is a distinguished 27-year veteran of the United States Navy and United States Navy Reserve. Ambassador Braithwaite completed his military service in 2011 as the Navy’s Vice Chief of Information. Additionally, he served as Commanding Officer, Joint Public Affairs Expeditionary Support Element (Reserve), Joint Forces Command. In that role, he deployed to Pakistan as the overall Director of Strategic Communications supporting the work of the American Embassy."
— Friday's press release from the White House

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The USS Theodore Roosevelt. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

The USS Theodore Roosevelt reported three cases of sailors contracting COVID-19 Tuesday, Navy officials said at a briefing — marking the first U.S. sailors to test positive aboard a Navy ship while at sea.

Where it stands: The ship is currently in the Philippine Sea, but the three sailors have been transported to an undisclosed U.S. medical facility. Other sailors on board who'd come in contact with the infected individuals have been quarantined accordingly.

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The last daily White House press briefing was held one year ago — on March 11, 2019, when Sarah Huckabee Sanders was still President Trump's press secretary.

Why it matters: It's a significant milestone that is emblematic of the erosion of traditional norms regarding interactions between the White House and the press corps under the Trump administration.

Go deeperArrowMar 11, 2020 - Politics & Policy
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U.S. Marine first in Virginia to test positive for coronavirus

Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Photo: Tex Jobe/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Wikimedia Commons

A U.S. Marine in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, has become the first person in the state to contract the novel coronavirus, Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Rath Hoffman said in a statement via Twitter on Saturday evening.

The big picture: The Marine was being treated at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital after recently returning from overseas, where he was on official business, Hoffman said. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and the White House have been briefed on the case. On Friday, a U.S. Navy sailor stationed in Naples, Italy, became the first in Europe to test positive for the virus. An American soldier stationed in South Korea was quarantined on Feb. 25 after testing positive for COVID-19.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Keep ReadingArrowUpdated Mar 8, 2020 - Health