DAMAGE CONTROL: It’s been three weeks since Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) last talked, and since then, neither one has budged an inch in the dispute over the priority and legality of the Pentagon’s policy to grant paid leave and reinsure travel expenses for servicemembers who would need to travel to a different state to obtain a legal abortion.

Last week, Austin issued a memo to the three service secretaries outlining his plan to “mitigate the disruption” caused by Tuberville’s hold on promotions and confirmations of more than 300 senior military officers.