Close
MyNorthwest
News
Opinion
Sports
Tools
Connect

NATIONAL NEWS

Pentagon says Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving, in latest departure of a top defense leader

Apr 22, 2026, 2:45 PM

FILE - Secretary of the Navy John Phelan speaks, as President Donald Trump listens, at Trump's Mar-...

FILE - Secretary of the Navy John Phelan speaks, as President Donald Trump listens, at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)

Associated Press's Profile Picture

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Navy’s top civilian official, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, is leaving his job.

In a statement posted to social media, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Phelan was “departing the administration, effective immediately.”

Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will become acting secretary of the Navy, Parnell said.

The sudden departure comes just a day after Phelan addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., and spoke with reporters on his ongoing agenda.

National News

FILE - A person carries a shopping bag in Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)...

Associated Press

Key inflation gauge remains elevated during Iran war and ongoing US trade fights

WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation measure closely watched by the Federal Reserve was unchanged last month in the latest sign that many Americans are still struggling with higher costs. The Commerce Department’s Wednesday report showed that prices rose 3.7% in July compared with a year earlier. Inflation has worsened since the Iran war began in […]

3 minutes ago

An employee checks a customer's identification card before checking out alcohol at a cash register ...

Associated Press

US economy expands at sluggish 1.5% pace in second quarter, but consumer spending stayed strong

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a sluggish 1.5% pace from April through June. But consumer spending stayed strong. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that growth in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of a goods and services — decelerated from a 2.1% pace from January through March. The second-quarter growth number […]

3 minutes ago

FILE - The Social Security Administration's main campus is seen in Woodlawn, Md., Jan. 11, 2013. (A...

Associated Press

How to avoid a Social Security cut? Lawmakers are floating ideas for what to do

WASHINGTON (AP) — With the few months they have left as senators, Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Bill Cassidy have embarked on a mission to save tens of millions of Social Security beneficiaries from a projected 22% cut in their benefits, starting in just six years. It is one of the most perilous political efforts […]

2 hours ago

FILE - At left, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks in McKinney, Texas, May 19, 2026, and at r...

Associated Press

Talarico wants to unearth Paxton’s depositions to keep focus on opponent’s past in Texas Senate race

James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, wants to reveal depositions involving Ken Paxton, his Republican opponent, as part of an ongoing effort to keep the focus on Paxton’s history of scandals. The depositions involve a civil case where Unity Resources, a mineral assets company, was accused of fraud. Paxton was connected […]

3 hours ago

FILE - Dan Sullivan, a candidate in Alaska's U.S. Senate race who shares his name with the incumben...

Associated Press

Republican with same name as incumbent Dan Sullivan advances from Alaska US Senate primary

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A candidate with the same name as Alaska’s incumbent U.S. senator advanced Tuesday to the general election in what will be one of the most closely watched races in the country this fall. Dan J. Sullivan, who goes by Dan Sullivan, was among the top four finishers after the Aug. 18 […]

9 hours ago

Harold Jezler poses for a picture with a photo of his wife, Olga Jezler, in West Harrison, N.Y., Fr...

Associated Press

Release of Marine veteran from Russian custody turns focus to other detainees with health concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert Gilman’s release from Russian custody this month heralded a long-awaited homecoming for the Marine veteran after more than four years behind bars. But as Harold Jezler followed the media coverage from the United States, he couldn’t help but notice Gilman’s gaunt and sickly appearance and think of the implications for his […]

9 hours ago

Pentagon says Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving, in latest departure of a top defense leader