WASHINGTON — When he resigned as defense secretary last December, Jim Mattis thought it might take two months to install a successor. That seemed terribly long at the time. Seven months later, the U.S. still has no confirmed defense chief even with the nation facing potential armed conflict with Iran. That's the...
Mattis Exiting as Pentagon Chief After Clashes With Trump
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is stepping down from his post, President Donald Trump announced Thursday, after the retired Marine general clashed with the president over a troop drawdown in Syria and Trump's go-it-alone stance in world affairs. Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration,...
US Calls for Yemen Cease-Fire, Political Talks
WASHINGTON — At an apparent turning point in one of its hardest foreign policy challenges, the Trump administration is demanding a cease-fire and the launch of U.N.-led political talks to end the Saudi-Iran proxy war in Yemen. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called for a halt to hostilities within 30 days....
Trump's Chief of Staff Denies Calling His Boss an 'Idiot'
WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff John Kelly is denying an account in journalist Bob Woodward's new book that he called President Donald Trump an "idiot." Kelly says, "The idea I ever called the president an idiot is not true." In a separate statement, the White House is dismissing...