Susan Davis

Well, we wish you a speedy, speedy recovery. Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Susan Davis. I cover politics.

And over the weekend, the Trump administration fired several high-ranking military leaders, as well as announced that it plans to fire over 5,000 probationary Pentagon employees starting this week. Tom, there's a lot to talk about, but let's start at the top. President Trump announced on social media that he was going to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a man by the name of C.Q.

And over the weekend, the Trump administration fired several high-ranking military leaders, as well as announced that it plans to fire over 5,000 probationary Pentagon employees starting this week. Tom, there's a lot to talk about, but let's start at the top. President Trump announced on social media that he was going to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a man by the name of C.Q.

And over the weekend, the Trump administration fired several high-ranking military leaders, as well as announced that it plans to fire over 5,000 probationary Pentagon employees starting this week. Tom, there's a lot to talk about, but let's start at the top. President Trump announced on social media that he was going to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a man by the name of C.Q.

Brown Jr. Why is this job so important, and how big of a deal is it that he's been fired?

Brown Jr. Why is this job so important, and how big of a deal is it that he's been fired?

Brown Jr. Why is this job so important, and how big of a deal is it that he's been fired?

When you say unprecedented, explain this to me, because even as a sort of news consumer of Pentagon News, he's not the first president to fire or hire a general because of a personal disagreement or a personal preference.

When you say unprecedented, explain this to me, because even as a sort of news consumer of Pentagon News, he's not the first president to fire or hire a general because of a personal disagreement or a personal preference.

When you say unprecedented, explain this to me, because even as a sort of news consumer of Pentagon News, he's not the first president to fire or hire a general because of a personal disagreement or a personal preference.

We should note, though, that Trump had appointed C.Q. Brown to the Pentagon in his first administration. And even in announcing his firing, he wasn't as personally pejorative towards him as he has been towards other people. It didn't seem as personal as other Trump firings have been.

We should note, though, that Trump had appointed C.Q. Brown to the Pentagon in his first administration. And even in announcing his firing, he wasn't as personally pejorative towards him as he has been towards other people. It didn't seem as personal as other Trump firings have been.

We should note, though, that Trump had appointed C.Q. Brown to the Pentagon in his first administration. And even in announcing his firing, he wasn't as personally pejorative towards him as he has been towards other people. It didn't seem as personal as other Trump firings have been.

Tom, the man that Donald Trump says he's going to replace him with is a guy by the name of Dan Cain. What can you tell us about him?

Tom, the man that Donald Trump says he's going to replace him with is a guy by the name of Dan Cain. What can you tell us about him?

Tom, the man that Donald Trump says he's going to replace him with is a guy by the name of Dan Cain. What can you tell us about him?

Domenico Cain is someone who will need to be confirmed by the Senate, but I think we have seen play out that the Senate is not particularly interested in throwing up any roadblocks for people that Donald Trump wants in his administration. So he seems like he's probably in a pretty good position to get the job.

Domenico Cain is someone who will need to be confirmed by the Senate, but I think we have seen play out that the Senate is not particularly interested in throwing up any roadblocks for people that Donald Trump wants in his administration. So he seems like he's probably in a pretty good position to get the job.

Domenico Cain is someone who will need to be confirmed by the Senate, but I think we have seen play out that the Senate is not particularly interested in throwing up any roadblocks for people that Donald Trump wants in his administration. So he seems like he's probably in a pretty good position to get the job.

I mean, Domenico, Trump, I think, is enjoying a bit of a honeymoon in his second term. He has a ton of support within the party. But don't you see some element of political risk here in that the Trump administration is just upending the Pentagon, the national security apparatus, and these are potentially politically risky moves?