
Deputy defense secretary not told of Lloyd Austin hospitalization when she assumed his duties, officials confirm
CBSN
Washington — The deputy secretary of defense was not told that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized when she assumed some of his duties on Tuesday, two defense officials confirmed to CBS News.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was informed of Austin's hospitalization on Thursday, the officials said. Hicks was in Puerto Rico and returned Saturday, according to one of the officials.
Austin has been hospitalized since Jan. 1 due to complications following a minor elective medical procedure, the Pentagon said Friday in its first acknowledgment of the hospitalization. Austin was in the ICU, according to an administration official.

Santa Fe, New Mexico — A representative for the estate of actor Gene Hackman is seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports, especially photographs and police body-camera video related to the recent deaths of Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa after their partially mummified bodies were discovered at their New Mexico home in February.

In the past year, over 135 million passengers traveled to the U.S. from other countries. To infectious disease experts, that represents 135 million chances for an outbreak to begin. To identify and stop the next potential pandemic, government disease detectives have been discreetly searching for viral pathogens in wastewater from airplanes. Experts are worried that these efforts may not be enough.