One of the sources said Hegseth wants someone in the role who will implement President Trump and Hegseth's vision for the Army. A senior Defense Department official told CBS News, "We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army." George previously served as the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from 2021-2022, during the Biden administration, after decades of service. A career infantry officer and West Point graduate, George first served in the first Gulf War and the more recent conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army chief of staff typically serves a four-year term. George was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023, meaning he would typically have held the position until 2027. The current vice chief of staff of the Army, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who was formerly Hegseth's military aide, will likely be considered as a replacement. He previously served as the commanding general of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division from 2022 to 2023. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point posted photos on social media on Thursday of George, saying he "shared experience-driven guidance with cadets preparing to lead" during a visit.

According to his biography on the Army's website, George received his commission as an infantry officer from West Point in 1988 and deployed during Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Before serving as Army chief of staff, he was vice chief of staff of the Army from 2022 to 2023. Hegseth has fired over a dozen senior military officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife and the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse. The ouster follows Hegseth's X post lifting the suspension of the aircrew that flew by Kid Rock's house in Nashville last weekend. After the Army announced the suspension of the aviators involved and an administrative review, Hegseth overruled the Army, writing on his personal X account, "No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots."

or maybe it's just a fucking petty slapfight over Kid Rock? Pete's really tackling all the important problems facing the Army!

Hegseth's decision to ask George to exit wasn't related to the helicopter incident, one of the sources said.

yeah, sure

y'know, we've talked a lot about JDPON Don, but with the amount of institutional knowledge in the military Pete's wiped out by firing everyone who disagrees with him, he might be up for his own JDPON moniker

Tehran, April 2 (Prensa Latina) The Iranian Army assured today that it will continue to carry out “broader and more destructive” operations in response to attacks by the United States and Israel.

Ebrahim Zolremovedhari, spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters of the Armed Forces, said in a statement that Iran will intensify its actions following recent threats from US President Donald Trump.

Zolremovedhari rejected claims by Washington and Tel Aviv about the alleged destruction of Iranian military capabilities and warned that such perceptions “will sink them further into the quagmire they have gotten themselves into.”

In that regard, he stressed that Iran maintains its strategic systems intact, including missiles, long-range drones, air defenses, and electronic warfare capabilities.

The spokesman also addressed a direct message to the United States and Israel, assuring them that "they will pay the price for the aggression they initiated."

He also warned that future Iranian operations would be "more intense, far-reaching, and more destructive," following what he described as previous blows inflicted on its adversaries.

Since February 28, the United States and Israel have been carrying out military actions against Iran, which have caused thousands of deaths and injuries, while Tehran responds with missile and drone attacks.

According to Iranian authorities, these operations target US facilities and interests, although some of these attacks have caused casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure in several countries, which has been the subject of regional condemnation.

St. Petersburg, Russia, April 2 (Prensa Latina) Russia and Cuba today expressed their mutual interest in the immediate restoration of air service, according to a statement from the Ministry of Transport of the Slavic nation.

The parties highlighted their mutual interest in the immediate restoration of air service between Russia and Cuba,” the department said after a meeting at the International Transport and Logistics Forum between Russian Deputy Transport Minister Alexander Poshivai and his Cuban counterpart Marcos Antonio Bermudez.

Officials also confirmed their willingness to continue seeking alternative sources of funding for the Cuban railway network restoration project.

Furthermore, they agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation in maritime cargo transport. In this regard, the Russian state-owned company Morsvyazsputnik will continue to provide communications services to Cuban-flagged vessels.

Among other topics, the deputy ministers paid attention to the project to create a fleet of taxis in Havana with Russian-made Moskvich vehicles.

Washington, April 2 (Prensa Latina) President Donald Trump today made official what had been widely speculated: he dismissed Pam Bondi as U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of Justice.

As expected, the news spread rapidly on social media. Trump announced that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would assume the position on an interim basis.

According to reports, Trump is frustrated by the reaction and anger of his supporters over the government's handling of the controversial Jeffrey Epstein files, the deceased sex offender with past ties to high-profile figures, including the current occupant of the Oval Office.

“President Trump has considered firing Attorney General Pam Bondi in recent days as his frustration grows with her leadership at the Justice Department and her handling of the Epstein files, according to four people familiar with the discussions,” The New York Times previously reported.

In February, Bondi defended her handling of the Epstein files in a heated session before the House Judiciary Committee, where she faced accusations of politicization and direct demands from victims. On March 17, the attorney general was summoned to appear before the House Oversight Committee on April 14.

Trump also complained that his hitherto unconditional ally has not sufficiently investigated political opponents.

Yesterday, the two appeared together at the Supreme Court, when they attended the oral arguments hearing debating the administration's attempt to eliminate birthright citizenship.

Trump recently fired his Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. She had been facing heavy criticism and had testified before a committee on Capitol Hill. Media reports had fueled speculation about her dismissal in the days leading up to the firing.

So Bondi is in the same boat. Trump praises her and then criticizes her. Too many stones in the river.

Brasilia, April 2 (Prensa Latina) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated today that no one will force Brazil to change the Pix instant payment system, following criticism from the United States that points to it as an alleged barrier to international trade.

During a visit to urban mobility works in Salvador, the capital of Bahia, the president responded to a report released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, which questions the functioning of the Brazilian financial mechanism.

"The United States published a report this week on the Pix, in which it states that it distorts international trade and creates problems for its currency," the ruler mentioned.

“Pix belongs to Brazil, and no one will force us to change it, given the service it provides to Brazilian society. What we can do is improve Pix so that it can increasingly meet the needs of the women and men of this country,” he added.

Launched in 2020, this instant payment system allows transfers in seconds, 24 hours a day, at no cost to individuals, and currently has more than 170 million users, 80 percent of the population of the South American giant.

The US document mentioned by Lula argues that the Central Bank of Brazil “created, operates and regulates” the system, and reflects concerns from US business sectors about alleged preferential treatment that would harm private providers of electronic payments.

The criticisms are part of a broader investigation launched by Washington in 2025 into Brazilian trade practices, in which Pix had already been identified as a potential disadvantage for US companies.

Even at that time, the president had stated that the payment system belonged to Brazil and that the country would not accept external interference.

In addition to Lula's statements on the matter, social media users and other Brazilian politicians also defended national sovereignty and the use of this system.

Deputy Rogério Correia stated on the social network X that "the Pix is ​​a conquest of the people" and warned that it cannot become a target of foreign interests.

Furthermore, he questioned whether Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and a presidential hopeful, would adopt positions aligned with the United States on this issue, given his close ties to the interests of President Donald Trump.

His colleague in the Chamber of Deputies, Lindbergh Farias, also criticized Flávio Bolsonaro, who recently revealed his intention to facilitate Washington's access to Brazilian resources if he wins the elections next October.

The White House is attacking our Pix and our sovereignty, and he remains completely silent, the legislator questioned, adding that the senator prefers to applaud Americans rather than defend what makes life easier for millions of Brazilians.

According to the statement, the move came in response to “false, offensive, and improper accusations” by Tehran, which on Wednesday accused Buenos Aires of “siding with the aggressors” and violating international law by declaring Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terror group.

Iran’s accusations “constitute unconstitutional interference in our country’s internal affairs and a deliberate misrepresentation of decisions adopted in accordance with international law and national judicial order,” Argentina’s foreign ministry said.

The decision to expel Iran’s envoy was also due to Iran’s “persistent refusal” to cooperate with a probe into the 1994 AMIA bombing that killed 85 people and wounded more than 300 at the Jewish community center, in the worst such attack in Argentine history, Argentina’s foreign ministry said

timesofisrael com/argentina-declares-iranian-envoy-persona-non-grata-gives-him-48-hours-to-leave/