US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Japan on Sunday in his last trip to the Indo-Pacific as the Pentagon chief, as he seeks to cement the Biden administration's policy legacy of deepening regional alliances and partnerships. Austin arrived at Yokota Air Base near Tokyo, kicking off the Asia swing that has excluded an anticipated stop in South Korea, another key US ally, in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law attempt last week. During the trip through Wednesday, the secretary is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, visit a US aircraft carrier and meet with American troops, and observe a military exercise involving Australian forces, according to a senior US defense official. "The secretary's trip is going to be highlighting how much the Department (of Defense) has achieved with Japan, a key treaty ally, over the last four years to advance peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific," the official told reporters. "We are continuing to build on these accomplishments, and the next three days will give us a chance to see some of them in person and in implementation." Austin plans to meet Ishiba and Nakatani separately on Tuesday to take stock of progress that the two countries have made in recent years and underscore the importance of the alliance, the official said. Other events include his visit to the USS George Washington nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at the Yokosuka Naval Base and his observation of a US-Japan military exercise where Australian forces are participating for the first time. The secretary's trip to Japan comes as Washington sees Tokyo as vital to its "new convergence" efforts to bring together US allies and partners in fit-for-purpose groupings to promote a shared vision for a "free and open" Indo-Pacific. "New convergence of allies and partners, who share a vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, and (of) the stronger and more resilient and more capable, networked partnerships is strengthening deterrence in the region, and Japan is emerging as a common denominator of that network," the official said. The cancellation of Austin's visit to Seoul has added to concerns that the aftermath of the short-lived martial law imposition could affect security coordination between Seoul and Washington on North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats. After the martial law episode, Seoul and Washington also postponed a session of the Nuclear Consultative Group, the allies' key nuclear deterrence platform, and a related exercise originally slated to take place in Washington last week. US officials have expressed "grave concern" over the martial law declaration though they reiterated that America's commitment to the alliance with South Korea remains "ironclad." (Yonhap)

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Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet as he speaks with reporters after meeting with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks with reporters after meeting with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, arrives for a meeting with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet as he speaks with reporters after meeting with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT BROWN WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Defense Department, said he had a “wonderful conversation” with Maine Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday as he pushed to win enough votes for confirmation. He said he will not back down after allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump will ring the New York Stock Exchange bell. It’ll be a first for him National Politics | The Trump and Biden teams insist they’re working hand in glove on foreign crises National Politics | ‘You don’t know what’s next.’ International students scramble ahead of Trump inauguration National Politics | Trump is threatening to raise tariffs again. Here’s how China plans to fight back National Politics | Trump won’t be able to save the struggling US beef industry Collins said after the hourlong meeting that she questioned Hegseth about the allegations amid reports of drinking and the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. She said she had a “good, substantive” discussion with Hegseth and “covered a wide range of topics,” including sexual assault in the military, Ukraine and NATO. But she said she would wait until a hearing, and notably a background check, to make a decision. “I asked virtually every question under the sun,” Collins told reporters as she left her office after the meeting. “I pressed him both on his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him, so I don’t think there was anything that we did not cover.” The meeting with Collins was closely watched as she is seen as more likely than most of her Republican Senate colleagues to vote against some of Trump’s Cabinet picks. She and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a fellow moderate Republican, did not shy from opposing Trump in his first term when they wanted to do so and sometimes supported President Joe Biden’s nominees for the judicial and executive branches. And Hegseth, an infantry combat veteran and former “Fox & Friends” weekend host, is working to gain as many votes as he can as some senators have expressed concerns about his personal history and lack of management experience. “I’m certainly not going to assume anything about where the senator stands,” Hegseth said as he left Collins’ office. “This is a process that we respect and appreciate. And we hope, in time, overall, when we get through that committee and to the floor that we can earn her support.” Hegseth met with Murkowski on Tuesday. He has also been meeting repeatedly with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a military veteran who has said she is a survivor of sexual assault and has spent time in the Senate working on improving how attacks are reported and prosecuted within the ranks. On Monday, Ernst said after a meeting with him that he had committed to selecting a senior official to prioritize those goals. Republicans will have a 53-49 majority next year, meaning Trump cannot lose more than three votes on any of his nominees. It is so far unclear whether Hegseth will have enough support, but Trump has stepped up his pressure on senators in the last week. “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” Trump posted on his social media platform last week.

The international community has recognized the complexity and severity of the situation in Syria and has made efforts to address the multifaceted challenges posed by the conflict. Humanitarian organizations, governments, and policymakers have worked to provide assistance to refugees, support host communities, and combat the spread of terrorism through various initiatives and collaborative efforts.Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Tenet Healthcare Co. ( NYSE:THC – Free Report ) by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 39,948 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,491 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Tenet Healthcare were worth $6,639,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Tenet Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Tenet Healthcare in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Tenet Healthcare during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Tenet Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Tenet Healthcare by 93.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. 95.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Insider Activity In other news, EVP Lisa Y. Foo sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.94, for a total value of $623,760.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,566 shares in the company, valued at $2,427,362.04. This trade represents a 20.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . Also, insider R. Scott Ramsey sold 11,599 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.06, for a total value of $1,879,733.94. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,024,867.44. This represents a 64.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,599 shares of company stock valued at $2,830,834. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Read Our Latest Research Report on THC Tenet Healthcare Stock Performance Shares of Tenet Healthcare stock opened at $143.57 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $158.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $147.87. Tenet Healthcare Co. has a fifty-two week low of $65.90 and a fifty-two week high of $171.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market cap of $13.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 2.15. Tenet Healthcare ( NYSE:THC – Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by $0.60. The company had revenue of $5.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.05 billion. Tenet Healthcare had a return on equity of 24.05% and a net margin of 14.91%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Tenet Healthcare Co. will post 11.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Tenet Healthcare Profile ( Free Report ) Tenet Healthcare Corporation operates as a diversified healthcare services company in the United States. The company operates through two segments: Hospital Operations and Services, and Ambulatory Care. Its general hospitals offer acute care services, operating and recovery rooms, radiology and respiratory therapy services, clinical laboratories, and pharmacies. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding THC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Tenet Healthcare Co. ( NYSE:THC – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Tenet Healthcare Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tenet Healthcare and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

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