Election 2020 live updates: Trump plans first public event since last week; Biden huddling with advisers

The Trump administration launched a dramatic shake-up at the senior levels of the Pentagon on Tuesday, installing three White House loyalists in influential roles and intensifying turmoil a day after Trump abruptly fired his defense secretary.

The changes, confirmed by the Pentagon in a statement Tuesday evening, have alarmed Democrats and some Republicans and promised to complicate a transition to a Biden administration. On Monday, Trump took to Twitter to announce the ouster of his fourth defense secretary, Mark T. Esper, upending decision-making in the Pentagon as the president refuses to concede the election he lost last week to Biden.