BOSTON — A federal judge Tuesday sentenced a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.

Jack Teixeira, 22, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, had pleaded guilty in March to six counts of the willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act following his arrest in the most consequential national security case in years. Teixeira admitted that he illegally collected some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets and shared them with other users on the social media platform Discord.

Brought into court Tuesday wearing an orange jumpsuit, he showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani.

Before being sentenced, he apologized for his actions.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry for all the harm that I brought and caused,” Teixeira said, referencing the “maelstrom” he caused. “I understand all the responsibility and consequences fall upon my shoulders alone and accept whatever that will bring,” he said, standing as he addressed the judge.

Afterward, Teixeira hugged one of his attorneys and looked toward his family and smiled before being led out of court.

The security breach raised alarm over America’s ability to protect its most closely guarded secrets and forced the Biden administration to scramble to try to contain the diplomatic and military fallout. The leaks embarrassed the Pentagon, which tightened controls to safeguard classified information and disciplined members found to have intentionally failed to take required action about Teixeira’s suspicious behavior.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy, speaking at a post-sentencing news conference, said Teixeira “has paid a very heavy price for the laws he broke and the damaged he caused.”

Teixeira, who was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, worked as a cyber transport systems specialist, which is essentially an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks.

Senate victor in Arizona: Democrat Ruben Gallego has been elected Arizona’s first Latino U.S. senator, defeating Republican Kari Lake and preventing Republicans from further padding their Senate majority.

Gallego’s victory continues a string of Democratic successes for the Senate in a state that was reliably Republican until Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. Arizona voters had rejected Trump-endorsed candidates in every election since, but the president-elect won Arizona this year over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Gracias, Arizona!” Gallego posted on X.

With Gallego’s win, the GOP will have 53 seats in the 100-member Senate.

Gallego is a five-term House member and an Iraq War veteran with an up-by-the-bootstraps life story that he featured prominently in his public appearances and ads. He will replace Kyrsten Sinema, whose 2018 victory as a Democrat created a formula that the party has successfully replicated ever since.

Pick as US envoy to Israel: President-elect Donald Trump has selected Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, to be his ambassador to Israel, choosing a loyal ally for a crucial foreign post at a time of crisis in the Middle East.

If confirmed by the Senate, Huckabee, a former pastor who has never served as an overseas diplomat, would play a crucial role in helping Trump’s quest to fulfill his promise to bring the war in the Gaza Strip to a swift close.

Huckabee has voiced staunch support for Israel as it conducts its war in Gaza, which began after Hamas led an attack on the country Oct. 7, 2023.