How the U.S. defense secretary’s aversion to headlines made him one

Standing over 6 feet tall and weighing more than 250 pounds (113 kg), U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has a towering presence at the podium. Austin, 70, says his need for privacy drove him to make what could be the biggest blunder of his career – keeping two hospitalizations since December secret, even from his boss, President Joe Biden. During a public apology on Thursday, Austin tried to explain his thinking after being given a cancer diagnosis he described as "a gut punch."