Hegseth's chief of staff joins Pentagon exodus

What happened

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, stepped down Thursday. With his departure and the firing of three top Hegseth aides over leak accusations they deny, Hegseth's "circle of top advisers" has "shrunk in recent days to little more than his wife, lawyer and two lower-level officials," Politico said, leaving the inexperienced "first-time government official without trusted staff who understand Washington — just as he faces fallout from a series of scandals...