Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is slated to undergo a procedure on Friday, the Pentagon noted in a statement. The deputy defense secretary was slated to take on the role of acting defense secretary during the procedure, the statement noted.'The secretary has determined he will be temporarily unable to perform his functions and duties during the procedure.'"Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will undergo a scheduled, elective, and minimally invasive follow-up non-surgical procedure related to his previously reported bladder issue at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center later this evening," the statement from Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder notes."The secretary has determined he will be temporarily unable to perform his functions and duties during the procedure, so Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks will assume the functions and duties of the secretary of defense and serve as the acting secretary of defense," the statement notes.Austin underwent a prostatectomy late last year. This year he was admitted to Walter Reed on January 1 and remained there for some time before being released later that month.He was admitted to Walter Reed again the next month."Secretary Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Feb. 11 with discomfort and concern from a bladder issue related to his December 2023 prostate cancer surgery. His condition indicated a need for close monitoring by the critical care team and supportive care. His diagnostic evaluation identified the cause of his bladder issue and it was corrected with non-surgical procedures on Feb. 12," Dr. John Maddox and Dr. Gregory Chesnut noted in a statement that was included in a February 13 Pentagon press release. "The bladder issue was not related to his cancer diagnosis and will have no effect on his excellent cancer prognosis."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Texas police say a teenager with autism suffered serious injuries after one of his friends stole a package and tossed the chemical inside on his face. The Friendswood Police Department responded to the incident on Monday at a neighborhood in the city of Friendswood. Amy Morgan, the mother of the victim, spoke to KTRK-TV about the injuries to her son. 'They are not having to deal with a child that is possibly going to lose his vision.'"Kids with autism don't always know how to make good friend choices," she explained. Her son Brody was walking through the neighborhood with two of his friends when one of them decided to steal a package on the porch of a home. 17-year-old Branden Jolly allegedly ripped it open and found a powder inside a tube. Jolly spilled the powder onto the victim's shirt, which prompted him to push Jolly away, according to court documents. Jolly allegedly responded by tossing the powder into his face. His mother said that they brought her son to her and he was screaming from the pain of the substance. "All I heard was he had a substance thrown in his face, which I was told was salt," she said. "We went into the emergency room, and they immediately realized that it was not salt, and they kept trying to get from me what it was, and I had no idea," she added. Medical officials later determined that the substance was a drain declogger. Her son's recovery is unknown due to the volatile nature of the chemicals. "The kind of chemicals they were can still continue to break down," she explained. KTRK obtained graphic photographs of the teenager's injuries and included them in its news video report. 'An accident resulting from the choices made by all parties involved.'Court documents say that the drain declogger was clearly marked on the package and that the other teenager involved told police that Jolly intentionally tossed the powder on the victim. Jolly's family released a statement that appeared to blame the victim for pushing Jolly. Our family is very distraught over the details of this case, for both of our families. I'm very saddened by the entire event, and heart goes out to Brody and his family. I believe this incident was NOT an act of malicious intent by my son to harm his friend but an accident resulting from the choices made by all parties involved.Jolly's mother also spoke to KTRK and claimed that the incident was an accident. She told them that the substance fell out of her son's hands when he was "attacked" by the victim. Amy Morgan responded to that claim and said that she had sympathy for Jolly's family. "She's his mom. She's going to try to protect her son, and I don't blame her," she said. "I know all of this has to be hard on them, but they are not having to deal with a child that is possibly going to lose his vision or scarring burns on his face," she added. Jolly is being charged with injury to a disabled person. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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