erin burnett out front starts right now. out front next, donald trump making his case in court and not ruling out violence if his case is moved ahead. the former trump white house lawyer ty cobb is out front. and federal investigators looking for four bolts crucial to securing the door plug that blew off that alaska airlines plane. but were they ever on the door in the first place? it s an incredible question. we go inside the investigation as boeing calls an all emergency staff meeting. and the pentagon filing revealing what sent defense chief lloyd austin to the hospital twice even as his own deputy was in the dark. will the explanation be enough to save his job or make it worse? let s go out front. reporter: and good evening. i m erin burnett. out front tonight trump threatening chaos. the former president warning today if his prosecution continues, very bad things will happen. i think they feel this is a way they re going to try and win, and that s not the way it
tonight, the pentagon finally announcing why defense secretary lloyd austin had two secretive stays in the hospital. revealing he was hospitalized december 22nd to preet prostite cancer. a hospitalization austin did not inform the white house or his deputy about at the time it spite being under general anise tisha. the pentagon also confirming when austin returned today the hospital in an ambulance in severe pain on january 1st he was diagnosed would a urinary tract infection. obviously, you know, he stayed in for many days. again, austin did not tell the white house about it. and the white house revealing in fact it only found out the defense secretary of the united states had prostate cancer today. nobody at the white house knew that secretary austin had prostate cancer until this morning, and the president was informed immediately after. significant there. john kirby not trying to mince words or anything, just putting