OUR PICKSHegseth’s Pentagon Lurches off the Rails | Postal Service Plans May Keep Voters from Getting Ballots | AI Model With ‘Critical’ Cyber Abilities, and more

Hegseth Targets 7 More Officers as His Frustrated Army Secretary Quits  (Greg Jaffe, Helene Cooper, and Eric Schmitt, New York Times)
The defense secretary’s cuts, which have hit about 10 percent of the military’s top officers, are dividing the Pentagon, officials said.

Dan Driscoll’s Parting Shot  (Nancy A. Youssef, Missy Ryan, and Michael Scherer, The Atlantic)
The Army secretary told Trump about problems in the Army and his friction with Hegseth, then resigned.

Hegseth’s Pentagon Lurches off the Rails  (Tom Nichols, The Atlantic)
The resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is the latest sign of severe dysfunction in the Defense Department.

Trump’s Withholding of N.Y. Counterterror Funds Threatens Safety, Governor Says  (Tim Craig, Washington Post)
Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the Trump administration hasn’t given the state $87 million in promised federal funding.

Postal Service Plans May Keep Voters from Getting Ballots, Whistleblower Says  (Patrick Marley, Washington Post)
An anonymous federal official warns that a rushed USPS portal tied to Trump’s mail-voting order could reject large batches of ballots before the midterms.

OpenAI Is About to Release Its First AI Model With ‘Critical’ Cyber Abilities  (Maxwell Zeff and Lily Hay Newman, Wired)
The company will give select partners early access to its Astra AI model—so they have time to shore up their defenses.