Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Both the White House and Pentagon said Monday they would look into why President Joe Biden and other top officials weren't informed for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized. A Pentagon spokesman pointed to one reason: A key staffer was out sick with the flu.
Even as the Biden administration pledged to look into what rules or procedures weren't followed, it maintained its silence about why Austin has been hospitalized for a week. Some Republicans have demanded Austin's resignation, but the Pentagon said he has no plans to step down.
Austin, 70, went to the hospital on Dec. 22 for what the Pentagon press secretary called an "elective procedure" but one serious enough that Austin temporarily transferred some of his authorities to his deputy, without telling her or other U.S. leaders why. He went home the following day.
He also transferred some of his authorities after experiencing severe pain and being taken back to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center by ambulance and put into intensive care on Jan. 1. The White House was not informed until Jan. 4.
Austin, who has resumed his duties, is no longer in intensive care. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said his prognosis is "good" but it is not known when he will be released from the hospital.
The failure to properly inform government and defence leaders will be the subject of what John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, called a "hotwash" to see if procedures need to be changed.
Kirby, speaking to reporters on Air Force One as Biden travelled to South Carolina, said there is an "expectation" among members of Biden's Cabinet that if one of them is hospitalized, "that will be notified up the chain of command."
Ryder acknowledged that he and other public affairs and defence aides were told Jan. 2 that Austin had been hospitalized but did not make it public and did not tell the military service leaders or the National Security Council until Jan. 4.
"I want to offer my apologies and my pledge to learn from this experience, and I will do everything I can to meet the standard that you expect from us," he said.
Ryder said staff in Austin's front office will review notification procedures, including whether regulations, rules or laws were broken, and will take steps to improve the notification process. Those staff members, however, are among those who did not disclose the secretary's hospitalization.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, Austin took responsibility for the delays in notification.
"I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better," he said, acknowledging the concerns about transparency. "But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure."
Ryder provided some more detail on who knew about the hospitalization and when they were told.
He said when Austin was taken back to the hospital on Jan. 1 he "was conscious but in quite a bit of pain." He spent that evening undergoing tests and evaluation. The next day, "due to the secretary's condition and on the basis of medical advice," some authorities were transferred to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, through a standard email notification that often does not provide the reason for transfer, Ryder said.
Hicks, who was in Puerto Rico, was not told the reason for the transfer of authorities until Jan. 4.
Ryder said Austin's chief of staff, senior military adviser and Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were notified of the defence secretary's hospitalization on Jan. 2.
Ryder said the chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, did not inform the White House because she had the flu. He said Magsamen told Hicks on Jan. 4 and they began drafting a public statement and developing plans to notify government and congressional officials that day.
But the congressional notifications did not begin until the evening of Jan. 5, just minutes before the Pentagon issued its first public statement on Austin's status.
Asked who approved the U.S. military strike in Baghdad that killed a militia leader on Jan. 4, Ryder said it was pre-approved by Austin and the White House before Austin was hospitalized.
Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the only member of Congress Austin contacted about his hospitalization, called it a "serious incident" and said there needs to be accountability from the Pentagon.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Oklahoma Sen. J.D. Vance, both Republicans, have called for Austin to resign. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell did not answer when asked if Austin should resign.
"This lack of disclosure must never happen again," Reed said in a statement. "I am tracking the situation closely and the Department of Defense is well aware of my interest in any and all relevant information."
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said letters requesting additional information from Austin are being sent.
"There's a lot of pressure," Durbin said. "It's not over by a longshot."
Still, White House officials on Monday emphasized that Austin retains Biden's confidence. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden appreciated Austin's statement on Saturday, in which he took responsibility for the lack of transparency.
"There is no plan for anything other than for Secretary Austin to stay in the job and continue the leadership that he's been demonstrating," Kirby said.
---
Associated Press writers Tara Copp, Mary Clare Jalonick and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Anyone who has a Gen-Z person in their life is likely familiar with the popular social media app TikTok, but a new bill in the U.S. may soon take it off of the American market.
U.S. President Joe Biden is out to win votes by scoring some laughs at the expense of Donald Trump, unleashing mockery with the goal of getting under the former president's thin skin and reminding the country of his blunders.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Quebec is investing $603 million over the next five years to counter what its French-language minister describes as the decline of the French language in the province.
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Ukraine's troops have been forced to make a tactical retreat from three villages in the embattled east, the country's army chief said Sunday, warning of a worsening battlefield situation as Ukrainian forces wait for much-needed arms from a huge U.S. aid package to reach combat zones.
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”