services committee. of course, the center of this decision that is so crucial for this country whether pete hegseth will be the defense secretary for the united states, senator kelly pete hegseth, convince you to vote for him. >> well, erin, i walked into that hearing this morning very concerned about his experience to do the job. defense department is a huge organization, $850 billion a year budget 3 million people. he didn't seem to have the requisite experience to do this. when i walked out of the hearing i have to say i was more concerned about his transparency. he talks about personal issues without specifying what those were. and then, when asked about what i think the personal issues might be, and some of the things he's had to try to overcome, he talks about that these are just smears. and it can't be. you know, it's got to be it can't be both at the same time. so i have significant concerns. i'm going to meet with him tomorrow and talk further with him.

>> so you're going to have a one on one conversation. >> yes i am. i want to get back to a couple of the things i brought up today, but also talk to him about some policy. i asked for a second round of questions. i think it would have been appropriate if we did that. this is a very serious position. it affects our national security and our safety for us and our families. but i've got some specific policy questions i want to talk to him about, too. and i have to say, you know, to give him some credit here. when asked about the policy stuff i thought he was he was pretty good and he seemed to understand it. but on the personal issues, on the issue that i brought up about being intoxicated in the workplace, taking young female staff members to certain kinds of establishments that he couldn't answer if these things were true or false. and that's a very simple and basic question. he kept coming back to the to these were smears. so that concerns me. >> so i want to ask you about another thing, though. you talk

about policy, and i think you're saying that that he had seemed on more solid footing on that is is obviously significant. i know you're going to meet with him tomorrow, but there was an exchange with the democratic senator. elissa slotkin, your colleague who's a former cia agent who had served three tours in iraq. right. and hegseth said that his time in service is so important to him. so let me just play this exchange. >> do you believe there is such a thing as an illegal order that joe biden or any other president donald trump could give? >> is there anything that a commander in chief could ask you to do with the uniformed military that would be in violation of the u.s. constitution? >> senator, anybody of any party could give an order that is against the constitution or against the law. right. >> okay. so and are you so are you saying that you would stand in the breach and push back if you were given an illegal order? >> i start by saying i reject the premise that president trump understand giving any illegal orders at all.

>> were you satisfied with that answer? >> no, no, i'm not satisfied. i don't think anybody on the committee on either side of the aisle should be satisfied with that answer, you know, any president at any time. i mean, first of all, you got to understand the demands of the presidency and presidents could make bad decisions, and it could be up to the secretary of defense or other cabinet members to stop him from executing on a bad decision. that's the job of the secretary of defense. and he clearly did not want to answer that question. i think it's a pretty simple answer, and it should be, you know, if you're secdef and the president tells you to do something that's clearly unconstitutional or illegal, you should tell him that and you can refuse to carry out an order of the president. that's that's fine to do. i think the president elect should accept that. and i'm troubled that he could not answer that question adequately. >> all right. well, senator kelly, thank you very much for your time, i appreciate it.

thanks for joining us. the sauce starts now. >> straight from the source tonight, the critical vote that we have been waiting for. >> senator joni ernst revealing her vote on pete hegseth confirmation as president elect. >> trump appears to have won the battle for his pick to lead the defense department. >> democratic senator elizabeth warren will join me live after she clashed with hegseth today over his stance on women in combat. also tonight, the death toll in los angeles has now risen to 25 people. while firefighters are making progress today, forecasters have an ominous new warning. and who's in and who's out. michelle obama won't attend donald trump's inauguration next monday, but mark zuckerberg will. and he is not the only one. we have a few more names for you tonight. i'm kaitlan collins in washington, and this is the source. and there is breaking news here in d.c. after a dramatic and

tense day on capitol hill, republican senator joni ernst of iowa, who at one point expressed reservations about president-elect trump's pick to run the pentagon and had the power potentially to sink pete hegseth nomination has just made a very big announcement. >> he was at a adequately able to answer all of my questions, he pointed out the woke issues at the pentagon, and i think we're at a point where now we can start moving forward. >> people know where he stands on these issues. so i felt it was a good hearing. does he have your vote? um, i am breaking news, simon. i figured you would ask this. um, so yes, i will be supporting president trump's pick for secretary of defense. now, from my reporting, there had been a bit of apprehension going into that hearing today by trump's team. they had been keeping a close eye on people like

senator ernst. she's a veteran and a sexual assault survivor. but there was a sigh of relief at mar-a-lago following that hearing, especially tonight, now that they have a seal of approval from ernst herself, the committee chairman, senator roger wicker, told cnn earlier that he expects all republicans on his panel to vote to advance hegseth nomination for defense secretary. that's a major reversal of fortune for hegseth, whose nomination appeared to be in deep trouble just a few weeks ago amid allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement and nonprofits that he oversaw and also alleged excessive drinking, all of which he denied adamantly over and over today. and remember, it was less than six weeks ago when ernst herself was publicly expressing those reservations, saying that she believed hegseth had his work cut out for him to get confirmed into this place. tonight. i was there in the room today as she and her colleagues questioned hegseth and also had the chance to hear firsthand the reception that pete hegseth got when he walked into that hearing room. it was filled with trump's top allies and his supporters. you can

hear the applause he got going into it. republicans on that committee, like senator tommy tuberville that you see here, were anxious to see how contentious it might get. >> will you resign as secretary of defense if you drink on the job? >> i've made this commitment on behalf of. >> will you resign as secretary? >> i'm not hearing an answer to my questions. >> you were noticeably intoxicated and had to be carried up to your room. is that true or false? >> anonymous smears. >> you cheated on the mother of that child. less than two months after that daughter was born. didn't you? >> those were false charges. >> well, not fully investigated. >> and i was completely cleared. >> and i am so grateful for the marriage i have. >> to this day. >> you've admitted me. >> i don't think there's a board of directors in america that would hire you as a ceo with the kind of experience you have on your resume, someone who has never managed an organization. more than 100 people is going to come in and manage this incredibly important

organization. >> senator, i'm grateful to be hired by one of the most successful ceos in american history. should i be confirmed? >> and those senators are expected to vote on hegseth nomination the day of the inauguration next monday? my republican source was in the room there today. he's a member of the armed services committee, republican senator from oklahoma. markwayne mullin we those are the democrats we heard from. of course, republicans had their fair share of questions. but but on this news tonight that senator ernst says she is a yes. we have not heard that from her yet. what's your reaction to that? >> well, you know, she did her due diligence. she said from the beginning she was going to give pete a fair chance. pete did exactly what he said he was going to do. he was going to take the fight to the members and not let the media figure this out themselves. and he went from meeting, from meeting to meeting, meeting with one member at a time, explaining the situation, facing the tough questions. and then today, he handled himself with dignity and class. he took the oncoming fire. he was composed and he handled himself with with great

compassion for the job. and i think at the end of the day, he was like, that's what i was looking for right there. and she waited till she saw what she needed to see and committed to voting for him. >> do you think her saying, yes virtually assures that he will get confirmed? yes. >> she you know, i know there was a couple other republicans that was looking at the way she was going to go, that they were going to follow her lead. i think, with her saying, absolutely yes, she's going to support him now all but confirms his ability to to be the next secretary of defense. >> so we heard from senator gary peters there of michigan today on whether or not he's qualified for the job, not just the allegations against him, but but whether or not he himself has the qualifications for this. you seemed incensed by that. when it was your turn to to ask questions. i want to just play a bit of what you said when you had the microphone. >> i'm just looking for qualifications. um, you didn't give me any qualifications. starts bringing up the fact that. what if you showed up drunk to your job? how many senators have showed up drunk to vote at

night? have any of you guys asked him to step down and resign from their job? and don't tell me you haven't seen it, because i know you have. >> i mean, first off, that's a pretty serious accusation there. do you want to name any of the senators that you're saying are drinking on the job? >> no. and that's my whole point was, is that the senators on the other side of the aisle was trying to act like they had more morals than pete hegseth, and they don't. if you're going to hold someone accountable for their behavior, then hold everybody accountable. i'm not saying i'm the most moral man or the perfect individual. i'm absolutely not. i wasn't the one calling him out. but if you're going to hold, if you're going to hold someone at that center, then hold everybody at that standard. and it's a complete hypocrisy. what they were showing when they were talking about his affairs. there's multiple members of congress that had affairs on their wives, and that they haven't called to be stepped down. they haven't called them to step down either. and then when it talks about qualifications, what is the qualification to be the secretary of defense? the only

qualification is you've got to be a united states citizen. that's it. other than that, it is the president's choice and it's senate. the senate has the right to advise and consent, and he meets the qualifications to be the to be the next secretary of defense. >> i was in that room today. and when you said that, i guess the thought that went through my head was, if what you're saying is true and your colleagues do show up drinking to to come to work and vote, which i think would maybe be concerning to those taxpayers who pay them, how is the bad behavior of a sitting senator a defense of someone who wants to run the pentagon? >> it's not. what they were saying is he was incapable of doing. they're doing his job. and caitlin, what i was trying to get to is if you're capable of doing your job and you're able to still drink on the job or late in the evening, then don't tell me that pete can't. and pete had already said he's not going to drink, but they would just they just kept hammering it. pete is qualified to do the job. he's a combat veteran. he's 20 year combat veteran. he's been under fire. he's pulled his own friends out

of a combat zone. he's had to bury his own friends that got killed in combat. the guy has bled, he has sweat, and he has. he has proven his ability for his love for this country. he will do what needs to be done doing. what's the definition of insanity? is doing the same thing, expecting different results. and we keep recycling the same type of people as the secretary of defense. and where have they got us? nowhere. president trump is wanting to put people in place that's going to shake things up and do things different. and pete hegseth is going to do that. >> the drinking i mean, it wasn't just that he had a glass of wine. there were allegations from his former colleagues about him going out to strip clubs or having to be escorted out of parties because he had too much to drink. he denied that. but i'm just saying those were the allegations. it wasn't just that he was seen at cafe milano, that every one of them has been anonymous tips. >> no one has come forward and actually said this. well, senator tim kaine had said without question the names we haven't seen, the names i haven't seen the names. they sure didn't. they sure didn't mention the names. they said they had one person, one name that had said that. pete has

been adamant from day one that it is an outright lie. now, if no one is willing to put their name on it, and no one is willing to come forth on it, and believe me, they had plenty of time to come forward. they've all known this. then all it is is a smear campaign. and that's exactly what it was. yeah. >> and on the other part of the hearing that really focused on him being qualified for the job, in addition to the allegations made against him. you know, you have been an aggressive questioner of nominees in the past over whether or not they were qualified for the it was for the undersecretary of the air force. i just want people to listen to to how you've questioned candidates before. >> i'm just looking for qualifications. you didn't give me any qualifications. you gave me your history, your story. but what makes you qualified to be the undersecretary of the air force? >> now, that was for melissa dalton. she had 20 years in defense. not not very much in the air force, i believe. and you had really aggressive questions for her in that hearing. so it's not like it's unusual for someone to to

question someone's qualifications and whether or not they should, should have a job. i mean, being a sitting senator is one thing and obviously an esteemed position, but also to run the pentagon, you're in charge of millions of people and billions of dollars. >> i don't disagree with that whatsoever. what i was specifically referring to today with pete is that they were saying he is unqualified because he has a past. >> everybody was saying because he hasn't actually run an organization. as pete hegseth himself acknowledged, with more than 100 people. >> and i go back to there's most senators have never ran an organization either. but when you start talking specifically about what they were going after him today, they were going after him because they were saying that he was unqualified because of his past history. we all have a past. and here's what i tell people all the time. i have been blessed to be successful in business, moderately or in a large way. depends on which way you define it. and i've never fired anybody, caitlin, for making a mistake. i have fired people for not admitting they made a mistake. now, that doesn't mean that they're going to admit it the first time, but once they finally admit they made a

mistake, you can move on and people can grow from there. pete is able to grow, and he's going to be successful in what he's doing because he's able to admit that he's had a past and he's able to move past it and say, look, i am a changed man. he's proven he's a changed man. he's been very successful in his life, and now he's going to be successful in being secretary of defense. >> one of the questions he was asked at the end there from elissa slotkin, one of your newest colleagues, was if he would decline to carry out an illegal order, if he was given one. and she was saying, it's not just about president trump, but it's about any, any president. if that was the case, should you decline to to do so, he would not just say yes to that. did that bother you or give you any pause? >> he had been very consistent throughout the entire hearing, saying, i'm not answering hypothetical questions, but it's not really a hypothetical because it was mark esper was in that position, and he felt like he got orders that that he when it came to politicizing the military, it seemed like a non-answer. it was it was a very it was very hypothetical question. and that's what they kept. all the democrats kept trying to have hypothetical questions of what if, what if,

what if you don't know all the circumstances behind a what if it's not cut and dry, it's when someone has to make an in the moment decision. there's a lot of factors that go into play at that time. and so a hypothetical question and that type of atmosphere is something you can't not answer. >> shouldn't that answer always be yes, i would refuse. >> he kept saying is he said, i'm going to follow the constitution. he kept going back to i'm going to follow the constitution. and that is about as straightforward as he can without answering the hypothetical, he always said that he will follow the constitution of the united states of america. what else do you want? he's going to he's going to raise his hand and swear to uphold the constitution of the united states. if he's saying he will always uphold the constitution of the united states, and he's going to be within the boundaries of the law to do so. >> you have been one of his most ardent backers. senator mullen, thank you for for coming on and joining us tonight for that hearing. thank you. we're going to get perspective from a democrat who also questioned hegseth. up next, senator elizabeth warren will join me live. she had a pretty intense line of questioning for him. also tonight we are keeping a close

eye on the winds in los angeles. as the next 24 hours, we are told, are critical. cnn is also uncovering tonight data showing that l.a. understaffed fire departments in the united states. >> patients who have sensitive teeth but also want whiter teeth. >> they have to make a choice one versus the other. sensodyne clinical white provides two shades whiter teeth, as well as providing 24 over seven sensitivity protection. patients are going to love to see sensodyne on the shelf. >> touch can mean so many things, even for people with moderate to severe eczema. touch can make two feel like one or simply be a helping hand. dupixent can help you stay ahead of eczema as you welcome the feeling of touch. dupixent helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. to help heal your skin from within. many adults saw 90% clearer skin. some even achieved long lasting, clearer skin and fast itch relief after the first dose. severe allergic

reactions can occur. get help right away for face, mouth, tongue, or throat swelling, wheezing, or trouble breathing, tell your doctor of new or worsening eye problems like eye pain, vision changes or blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma or other medicines without talking to your doctor. dupixent. the number one prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists helps you feel the heal. see the difference for yourself. reach out to your eczema specialist today. >> living with your albuterol asthma rescue inhaler. it's a bit of a dinosaur. albuterol only treats your symptoms, not inflammation. a cause of asthma attacks, treating symptoms and inflammation with rescue is supported by asthma experts. finally, there's a modern way to treat symptoms and asthma attacks. air supra is the first and only dual action asthma rescue inhaler fda approved to treat symptoms and help prevent

asthma attacks. air supra should not be used as a maintenance treatment for asthma. get medical help right away if your breathing doesn't improve or worsens, or for serious allergic reactions like rash, mouth or tongue swelling, trouble breathing or swallowing, or chest pain, using air supra more than prescribed could be life threatening. serious side effects include increased risk of thrush or infections, or heart problems like faster heart rate and higher blood pressure. you. welcome to the modern age of dual action asthma rescue. ask your doctor if air supra is right for you. >> with dexcom g7 managing your diabetes just got easier. so what's your glucose number right now? good thing you don't need a finger stick. how's all that food affect your glucose? oh, the answer is on your phone. what if you're heading low at night? wow. it can alert you. and you can even track your goals. manage your diabetes with confidence. with z's bakery is looking to add a pizza oven, arissa's hair salon wants to expand their space, and steve's t-shirt shop wants to bring on more help.

with the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee, they can think more about possibilities for their business and not the cost of their internet. it's five years of gig-speeds and advanced security. all from the company with 99.9% network reliability. get the 5-year price lock guarantee, now back for a limited time. powering five years of savings. powering possibilities™. c for all thoses. making it big out there... ...shouldn't your mobile service be able to keep up with you? get wifi speeds up to a gig at home and on the go. introducing powerboost, only from xfinity mobile. now that's big. visit us at fund.com.

>> super. >> the christopher reeve story. february 2nd on cnn. >> as we monitor the latest from los angeles, the death toll there has risen to at least 25 people. tonight, california officials are issuing a new warning, saying that if you are in the palisades area this evening, quote, get prepared to evacuate now. now, the winds have not been as strong as authorities had first been worried about that we were talking about last night. but fire officials and residents are still bracing for the next few hours ahead. should those winds pick up and kick start any new fires that they are keeping a very close eye on? cnn's erin burnett joins us live from altadena tonight. and, erin, there's been a lot of uncertainty just over what the next few hours will bring. i mean, i can't even imagine what that that feels like for people who are just sitting at home waiting to see how these winds kind of determine the fate of their families. but but as this is happening with no rain in the forecast for the next few days, what are you hearing from officials that they're watching this evening?

>> so tonight, obviously it's dark here now. and caitlin, where i'm standing off to my right is the san gabriel mountains, completely shrouded in darkness. but that is an area right here of real concern. those high winds, they expect to be here, and they're really now expecting it to be starting sort of 3:00, 330 in the morning. the fire crews we were with today are on high alert for that. they were dropping in anticipation of that. caitlin, across the mountain, big giant red strip. we saw at one point a fire retardant to try to establish a line. and then where we are now in these mountains, helicopters and fire crews all day. a swarm of activity, looking for any sort of sparks, looking for hotspots. and they're worried because of the winds that embers can just blow right in where we are in the altadena line. on one side, you have so much destruction, on the other, no destruction at all, right? an area that has not burned in decades. and they are so worried about that and trying to defend it. those are some of the big fears that they have tonight. but but caitlin, the forecast right now is for 3:00, 330 in the morning. and

firefighters telling me now, of course they're all they're all on alert. they're all on call for that. and they anticipate that to go for about 12 hours. and within that they put their defenses up. and it's just trying to get to where they need to get to as quickly as they can to prevent a wildfire from sparking another massive urban fire. >> yeah. and just to see the work that these firefighters are doing while also at the same time concerned about their own families, their own homes. i know you spent time today with the one firefighter in altadena who had lost his home after he evacuated with his wife and their two kids. what was his just i mean, how is he processing all of this? >> you know, caitlin was interesting. he talked about how as a firefighter, you see other people's trauma all the time. you know, their emt, you know, they see loss and they see death all the time. and he said, we detach from that. we go in, we do our jobs. and of the fire, he was sitting with his family having dinner. they saw the fire in the distance here in altadena. he gets called to work. he goes to work 16 hours later, off of a shift

of trying to desperately save homes, a fire, by the way, he and his crew told us. they said no matter what resources they had, they would have been overwhelmed that they have never seen anything like this in their decades long careers. but after 16 hours, he checks in with his wife and his house is gone. his wife and children had to evacuate. he had driven by the house once, but he hadn't gone in it. and so he came with us. today, he and his crew, we came in in the in the rig. it was his first time back. he's ready tonight for those winds. he's going to be on duty. and we went into the house. and here is what happened. a pretty incredible thing. >> you know, when we go to a house fire, you kind of detach, you know, and you just sort of do what's best for the homeowner. and you put the fire out and we kind of salvage what we can. we pull what we can from them, and hopefully some of their stuff make it. but this is just just gone. >> i mean, caitlin, it was it

was hard for him to process that. and then we were sitting there and with his crew and he said, you know, i left my wedding ring when i went to work and they said, wait, what? and he's going through. and he's like, well, this is where the bedroom would have been. and i mean, so they run to the rig, they get a shovel and i'm checking. wait, at what temperature does gold melt? about 1900 degrees fahrenheit. i said, are we going to be okay? and they go, yeah, these fires were about 1200. we know. and so we found it. i mean, they dug and dug and they found that ring. and then caitlin, his wife, who is a hazmat specialist, she hadn't been back to the house, but because of her job, she's able to be in the evacuated area. she was surveying. she drove up and she gets out and he shows her the ring. and it was just a sort of a small moment, a poignant moment, but just an incredible joy and trauma for that family all at once. but he got that ring back and it was just it was a beautiful moment. >> that is like the best thing that i've heard today, just watching this and to to see

that moment of them being able it was to find something so small but meaningful. mhm. >> it really it really was. it was a beautiful thing. and just to see them together as they are just trying to chart the next step of their lives. and as i said tonight, full on on duty with his crew, ready to come fight more fires. >> yeah, just amid so much loss. it's nice to have that that small moment. erin, thank you for bringing us that. thank you for being there on the ground. and so many people have asked how they can help, not just the firefighters, but everyone here in this situation living through this. if you want to help, if you want to reach out, you can go to cnn.com/impact. it's a list of vetted organizations. so far, our viewers have raised over half $1 million. it's been amazing to watch. we're going to get back to our big stories here in politics right after this. the first big confirmation hearing of the incoming trump administration was for defense secretary pick pete hegseth. senator elizabeth warren was in the room. she was pressing senator or pressing pete hegseth today. and she is

my next source. i was in the room as pete hegseth was being questioned and really grilled by a lot of senators today during his confirmation hearing. it was a room that was filled with allies of president elect donald trump. they offered him a round of applause when he came into the room, speaking to the groundswell of support from trump's side that has been behind him. >> welcome to tackling life with jordan and veronica, brought to you by experian, who takes longer to get ready on game day. >> you you for sure. >> well, when you have to look like this, you got a lot of stuff to do. you just have to put a helmet on. >> yeah, i'm better at managing time for sure. >> it's like a part of your job, like clock management with experian, you can cancel subscriptions you forget about and could save you time and money. who needs the app more? both need it. who doesn't need to save more time and money? >> download the experian app now. >> what are folks 60 and older learning these days? >> new perspectives. this is

pretty how to fix things. >> fun recipes. >> safe repair safelite replace. >> nobody likes a cracked windshield. haha. >> but at least you can go to safelite. >> com and schedule a fix in minutes. can confirm very easy safelite can come to you for free and our highly trained techs can replace your windshield right at your home. >> safelite repair safelite replace. >> go to safelite.com and schedule a replacement today. what causes a curve down peyronie's disease? is there somebody i can talk to or help? >> i

got somebody for that. i got somebody for that. >> i got somebody for that. >> you guys got somebody for peyronie's disease. >> there's hope for the estimated 1 in 10 men who may have peyronie's disease or pd, a urology specialist who treats pd can help you create a plan including non-surgical options. find somebody today at go get somebody.com. >> this guy can't shoot. >> he's got weak arms. >> how do you sleep at night on a mattress from mattress firm. >> so i sleep all night long a brands. get matched at mattress firm. sleep at night. >> not again. you cold is coming. >> your cold is coming. >> thanks, rivera. >> we really need to keep zicam in the house. >> only if you want to shorten your cold. >> when you feel a cold coming, shorten it with zicam oh, cameras off, all live cams off. >> what's going on here? they just took us off the air. get out of my studio.

>> turn the cameras back on. >> three, two, one. >> there's a hostage situation in the olympic village. >> september 5th, rated r. >> you give eye exams, i give fresh starts. >> better vision, healthy eyes. >> everybody wants that hero. >> everybody wants that hero. doc saves vision. well, hero - it's something about having that piece of paper. some people think that's worth more than my skills. - i've run this place for 20 years, but i still need to prove that i'm more than what you see on paper.

- you gotta be so good they can't ignore you. - it's the way my mind works. i have a very mechanical brain. - analytics and empathy. that's how i gain clients. - i am more... - i'm more... ...than who i am on paper. coin bonus. >> goldfish casino slots. >> go for the gold. >> hey, that's my line. >> follow the trump confirmation hearings. follow the facts. follow cnn. >> pete hegseth faced a barrage of questions at his confirmation hearing here in washington today, but there was one line of questioning in particular that was consistent throughout it all. among the women on the senate armed services committee. >> why should women in our military, if you were the secretary of defense, believe that they would have a fair shot and an equal opportunity to rise through the ranks? >> we have hundreds, hundreds of women who are currently in the infantry, lethal members of

our military, serving in the infantry, but you degrade them. >> you previously have made a series of inflammatory statements about women in combat, about your views of women in the military. >> and i just want to know what changed in the 32 days that the song you sang is not the song. you come in here today to sing. >> hegseth over the course of four hours answered most of those questions like this. >> i would point out i have never disparaged women serving in the military. senator, the concerns i have and the concerns of many have had, especially in ground combat units. i respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform, past and present. >> by democratic source tonight is massachusetts senator elizabeth warren, who you saw questioning hegseth there. is it safe to assume you are a no on pete hegseth? >> yeah, it's safe to assume that. and it's also safe to assume that when he says he has never disparaged women in the

military, he's just trying to see what he can get away with. because we've got the video, we've got him in print when he has just said as recently as november of 2024, straight up women do not belong in combat, he has said. they don't belong in the military at various points, but do not belong in combat, not qualified, not well if they can run or if they can do this, or if they can do that. they do not belong in combat. in fact, in his book, do you know what he says they should be doing? cooking. >> senator joni ernst is a female veteran on the senate armed services committee. she came out tonight saying that she will vote yes on pete hegseth. >> you know, look, i got to figure there are about a quarter of a million women who are on active duty military service right now who are feeling pretty lonely that there is not a single republican so far who will stand up for them and instead are willing to pass along a person to be

the secretary of defense who has said straight up that he doesn't want to see women in combat, and doesn't think that women make good soldiers. >> can i ask you? and maybe i saw this wrong, so please tell me. but i was there in the in the hearing room today. reporters kind of sit behind the guests, but but a clear view of the senators asking their questions. when senator joni ernst had her seven minutes and she first entered in a letter of praise for for pete hegseth into the record, you seem to have a reaction to that as you were watching, you know, she was the senator that everyone was essentially watching. >> well, obviously because of joni's history and frankly, because of the excellent work she has done for so long on behalf of our active duty women serving in combat, serving in other roles in the military, i think everyone was very much focused on her. but as i said, where we've ended up right now

is there's not a single republican who's willing to stand up for the women in active duty service. >> was pete hegseth pledge to senator joni ernst, in her line of questioning, to appoint a special advisor at the pentagon to deal with sexual assault and prevention. was that sufficient for you? >> no. and and let me explain why he has spent 12 years that we can document saying the same thing over and over, really no variation in it about how women do not belong in combat. it's lowering standards to have women in combat that straight up. i mean, these are his words, straight up that women should not serve in combat over and over. and then in this very short period of time when he gets nominated, he suddenly reverses that by 180 degrees. and he can't explain what's different today than a month ago when he was

saying something entirely different. and that means if that's the case, it kind of sounds a lot like he'll say whatever he needs to say to make it through the confirmation. and then one presumes he goes back to saying what he really believes. >> and do you think he will take action on that? what is your concern? i mean, because with her, yes, he's basically on a glide path to confirmation. if nothing huge pops up in the next six days, are you arguing that he'll change his position or he'll go back to his original position when he is in charge of the pentagon? >> i think it's every part of this. keep in mind, not every decision. in fact, the overwhelming majority of decisions that he makes, if he is the secretary of defense, are things that are made in public. most of this will happen in private. that's how many things happen when opportunities are taken away from people, when people are shut out, when people are not given a chance to be able to do what they can do and to compete, 300,000

women have served in combat since 9/11. they've served in iraq and in afghanistan, and pete hegseth has insulted every single one of them. >> democrats. today, in the line of questioning that you have from your colleagues, do you think your party was effective in questioning pete hegseth? >> well, what is your measure of effective? did we cause the republicans to say, you're right, we're going to to turn our backs on pete hegseth or more importantly, we're going to stand up to donald trump? no, not a single one said they were willing to stand up to donald trump. notwithstanding pete hegseth history of being drunk on work events, notwithstanding the credible claims of sexual assault, notwithstanding what he said about a quarter of a million women who now serve in the active duty military, notwithstanding the fact that he has run only two very small

organizations and run them both into the ground financially, notwithstanding the fact that in that hearing he could not answer basic questions about his constitutional oath and responsibilities or basic questions about whether he even supports the geneva convention, i mean, these are things that this is about the job of the secretary of defense. what the democrats did, and i think did very well, is that we asked the right questions and put it out there in front of the american people. we wanted a second round of questioning so we could ask even more. we wanted to see the fbi report. right. we wanted to make more of these reports public. >> more questions were denied by the chairman, despite two requests from the ranking member for democrats. and we've seen that in some past hearings, he said that was an agreement. but on the fbi report, ranking member just rank and file members did not get to actually see that the

chairman did. and the ranking member, which they argued is precedent. that is typically the course. there have been some exceptions. should democrats have fought harder? did you want the ranking democrat to to fight harder to get access to that fbi report? >> let's let's remember that when there was a credible claim of a problem with alcohol and the kind of risk that would be for a secretary of defense who has to be ready to answer the phone at three in the morning and make split second decisions. that was john hightower. and they gave the fbi report not just to everybody on the committee, but to everybody in the entire united states senate, because ultimately, these are job interviews for some of the most important jobs in our country. and what the democrats are asking for is let us at least see all of the information. >> but did democrats ask enough? i guess, is my question. >> well, the certainly the chair of the committee asked at the beginning of the hearing in

the formal process, which is what he should do. i've certainly called for it publicly. others have called for it publicly. and frankly, i think it's pretty outrageous that the republicans want to keep hiding that because it takes you back to this fundamental question. this is a job interview. if you think there's nothing in that fbi report that the american people should be worried about, then put the fbi report out there where at least the senators on the committee can see it. >> and the trump team felt that the fbi report essentially had no negative information, then show it to us. >> if there's no negative information, they should be willing to frame it and hang it on the wall. >> so with joni ernst saying she's a yes to pete hegseth, that seems to to seal his his confirmation, you do have many other hearings ahead of you, though. what are the takeaways for your party here? because the republicans stay united, they can pretty much get anyone confirmed. what should the democrats takeaways be for how to strategize for future hearings for pam bondi for attorney general tomorrow, or kash patel for fbi director or any of these other cabinet

nominees? >> well, look, our job is not to roll over and play dead. our job is to do our homework, which it was clear that we had done, and to come and to hold these nominees accountable. at the end of the day, we all take an oath in the united states senate, an oath to the constitution. and part of our responsibilities are advise and consent. how we execute on that oath, in part, is that we do our jobs in these hearings. now, if republicans want to say that they're going to go ahead and vote for pete hegseth, it is their vote. they legally can do that. they can. they are entitled to do that. but i think it's important to bring this in front of the american people and make it very, very clear who donald trump is putting in office to determine the future of the united states of america. when pete hegseth demeans women the way that he has, when there are questions

about sexual assault, when he has never managed anything bigger than a 50 person operation, and he's about to take on something with an $850 billion budget and more than 3 million employees. when that's the case, and that's who donald trump is putting in charge, then understand our national defense is put at risk. what we do right now is we point that out as loudly and as clearly as we can. >> senator elizabeth warren, thank you for your time tonight. you bet. thanks for joining us. also tonight we just learned who is skipping donald trump's second inauguration. six weeks, six days from today. breaking tradition michelle obama. her husband, former president barack obama, will be in attendance. of course, this comes just a few days after jimmy carter's funeral. more on who will be there. maybe some surprises ahead. for cnn news central tomorrow at 7:00 eastern. >> i wish my tv provider let me

choose what i pay for and let me pause my subscription when i want. >> let you do that. choosing customize your channel lineup or watch for free. sling lets you do that. >> saving for retirement was tough enough, and navigating markets can be challenging at times. >> i understand that's why at fisher investments we keep a disciplined approach with your portfolio, helping you through the market's ups and downs. >> what about communication? >> we check in regularly to keep you informed, which means you'll help us stay on track. >> yes, as a fiduciary, we always put your interests first because we do better when you do better at fisher, investments were clearly different. >> i thought we had a plan for dad. >> he was set to go to the senior living community right by my house. >> then a friend suggested i talk to a place for mom. >> they really opened my eyes. >> my advisor listened and understood his needs and showed us options that were still nearby, but a better fit for dad. now he's in a warm,

engaging community with a big group of friends. i know we made the better choice for free senior living advice. >> go to a place for mom.com. >> the guy made a lift into the river. daddy's home. >> hey, you got that thing? yeah, i got that thing. >> throw it in the fridge. >> oh. what's this? you keep dog food in the fridge. >> it's not dog food, it's fresh pat. real meat. real veggies from my boy junior. >> a disrespect, but, uh, what are we doing here? >> anybody asks, we were at grandma's fresh pet. >> it's not dog food. it's food. food. >> the itch and rash of moderate to severe eczema disrupts my skin night and day. despite treatment, it's still not under control. but now i have rinvoq. rinvoq is a once daily pill that reduces the itch and helps clear the rash of eczema fast. some taking

rinvoq felt significant itch relief as early as two days, and some achieved dramatic skin clearance as early as two weeks. many saw clear or almost clear skin. >> rinvoq can lower ability to fight infections before treatment tests for tb and do blood work, serious infections, blood clots some fatal cancers including lymphoma and skin. serious allergic reactions, gi tears, death, heart attack and stroke occurred. cv event risk increases in age 50 plus with a heart disease risk factor. tell your doctor if you've had these events. infection hep b or c smoked are pregnant or planning. don't take if allergic or have an infection. >> disrupt the itch and rash of eczema. talk to your dermatologist about rinvoq. >> learn how abbvie can help you save. >> this is it, right? >> yeah, that looks safe. >> totally safe. >> breathe. >> first timer. huh? >> let's pause for the facts. sure, it looks safe, but like nearly half of all used cars, it's been in an accident with carfax. com you see how accidents impact price so you don't have to overpay. >> unpause.

>> what was no accidents? new glenn ispace. >> you're going to need it. >> wait. twins. >> no. >> oh, that was too long of a pause. >> stop with the facts at the all new carfax.com. >> upset stomach. iberogast. >> indigestion. iberogast bloating. iberogast. thanks to a unique combination of herbs, iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast. >> taxes was waiting and wondering. and worrying. now taxes is matching with the turbotax expert who does everything for you. i just want to do one thing. who can do your taxes in a day? so you can get up to $4,000 instantly. now this is taxes. intuit turbotax michelle obama's office confirming to cnn tonight that

she will skip donald trump's inauguration next monday without explaining why she's going to be absent at an event that is traditionally attended by both former presidents and their spouses. >> notable exception from last year. this means the former first lady will not come face to face with the president elect. this also comes after she missed jimmy carter's state funeral here in washington last week, where, as you can tell by the seating chart that you're looking at here, had she gone, she would have been sitting next to trump himself. former president obama will attend the inauguration, we are told, and our sources are saying tonight that also so will three of the richest men in the world. tesla ceo elon musk, amazon founder jeff bezos and meta ceo mark zuckerberg will all have prime seating for that ceremony. sitting near trump's cabinet picks and administration officials. i want to bring in my political sources tonight, democratic congressman tom suozzi of new york and kevin madden, a former senior adviser to mitt romney. congressman, what do you make of of the former first lady

deciding she's not going to to attend the inauguration? as people are looking into who was there and who wasn't? and there's been a lot of outrage over this from some people. but, i mean, trump himself did not attend the inauguration famously last year. >> yeah, i mean, i she doesn't want to go. >> i mean, maybe she's enjoying her time that she's spending wherever she is, or maybe she doesn't want to be there. >> you know, i wouldn't read too much into it. i mean, it's the same as you said in your opening. she didn't go to the carter funeral either. so, i mean, she does want to go. >> do you do you see it as a statement yourself? no. the absence. >> i don't either. >> yeah, i think i think the congressman is right. i mean, if you talk to republicans, democrats, anybody who has had any interactions with michelle obama, she does not really love this stuff. the politics. >> she doesn't love, the pomp and circumstance that comes with a lot of the political, um, sort of histories that we have. right. well, also history. a lot of the traditions that we have. >> so in addition to that, the guy being sworn in has, you know, questioned her husband's not coming here where he was born. >> you know what? it'd be worse, i think, for michelle

obama. and it probably wouldn't be authentic to herself if she went not wanting to be there. right. and then, you know, imagine all and we know, like with the cameras all being on her, trying to get all the reactions. if you think about just the roadblock coverage that every single tiny reaction that that came from president carter's funeral. i mean, imagine looking at it right here. and let me just say that, you know, you're not hearing as much from democrats this time about a mass number of people not coming. i think it's just a different tone. i mean, you know, he's the president of the united states of america. are you going? of course i'm going. i went the first time as well. >> and why do you think it's important for you to go? you're an elected member of congress. of course. >> he's the president of the united states of america. i didn't vote for him, but he's the president. so i'm going to the united states president's inauguration. >> yeah, i think the whole idea of, like, norms being eroded has kind of had its turn in washington. but i do wonder, what do you make of of what happened with vice president harris? she has not invited vice president elect jd vance to come over to the naval observatory to have any kind of pre inauguration meeting. we are told that typically is

standard or at least a conversation between the two of them. >> yeah. i don't know what the reporting has been on why that is, but it's a missed opportunity. i think the inaugurations have always been this celebration. i mean, you know, i remember the famous words of bill clinton at his his first inauguration that we hold these celebrations in the depth of winter. but they really are a thawing of the political sort of partisanship that we usually have in our country. or at least there is an opportunity to do that. so i think having had vice president, harris had jd vance there, it would have been a nice gesture and something to build on. >> the people who will be there, though, are people who are certainly trying to get in good with trump. i mean, elon musk already certainly was there, raised a lot of money for him. but jeff bezos, mark zuckerberg, sam altman from openai, we've just heard is going, i think believe potentially tim cook is also going to be attending. a lot of these are people who either trump said some of them should be in jail or was famously, famously critical of them, or vice versa. what is your view as a member of congress with oversight of a lot of these

contracts that that these guys have with the federal government? what's your view of that? >> well, attending the inauguration, i mean, that's i think, and donating, i think it's kind of normal. but there's a lot of financial interest involved here right now in that, for example, if tiktok is banned in the united states of america, where is that business going to go? it's going to all go to facebook and to meta. but, you know, that's him showing up at the inauguration or contributing to the inauguration that's happened throughout history. we just have to have our eyes open as we go along and watch what's going on. >> but it does come as there's a fascinating split happening inside the maga world between elon musk and steve bannon. and steve bannon was coming out today saying, i will get elon musk kicked out by the time he's inaugurated. he called him truly evil. he downplayed the relationship. he said, of course you get a seat at the table when you you give this much money. he said, but i always argued it can't be the head of the table. >> yeah, well, look, first of all, what would it be? a republican party without some internal battles right now, particularly that up, particularly even a couple of days before we even start the inauguration. right. but look,

you know, these these type of fights are going to happen. trump could stop it. he doesn't. why? he likes to see a lot of these squabbles. and then he likes to see who's going to win and who's not. and then sort of pick a side. i think one of the things that's interesting is trump is a much more transactional politician. he is not somebody who is sort of moored to an ideological viewpoint. so seeing these fights play out sort of helps him gauge which way the direction is going. they want to be around the cool kids, you know, it's like high school. everybody's like jockeying. who's going to be closer? >> it is like high school. and that is not a compliment. congressman kevin madden, great to have you both here tonight. also we're going to check back in with los angeles in a moment as they are bracing for more wind and the potential for more fires tonight. democrats are facing another kind of storm when it comes to leadership. there are tough questions about the preparations and the response, especially for mayor karen bass. hear for mayor karen bass. hear what she's saying tonight. >> with the vision to see what's possible and the grit

to make it happen. >> morgan stanley can help create the future. only you can see. >> just because it's wet outside, you don't need to wear boots. presenting skechers waterproof sneakers with rugged, 100% waterproof construction in a comfy, breathable, lightweight, easy to wear sneaker. ditch the boots and experience comfy, capable skechers waterproof sneakers. >> you got this one. remember, i don't want surgery for my dupuytren's contracture. >> two i want to be able to lay my hand flat. >> three i want a non-surgical recovery. four i want options, non-surgical options and five. >> and if non-surgical treatment isn't offered, i'll get a second opinion. >> let's go take charge of your treatment. >> if you can't lay your hand flat, visit. find a hand specialist.com to get started. >> i didn't do this for the fame. >> i did it to pay it forward to the

next generation of athletes. i joined sofi because they've helped millions of members bank, borrow and invest for their ambitions. sofi, get your money right. >> what causes a curve in peyronie's disease? >> is there somebody i can talk to or help? >> i got somebody for that. >> i got somebody for that i got somebody for that. >> you guys got somebody for peyronie's disease. >> there's hope for the estimated 1 in 10 men who may have peyronie's disease or pd, a urology specialist who treats pd can help you create a plan including non-surgical options. find somebody today at go get somebody.com. >> celebrate mouthwa moments with omaha steaks end of season event. for a limited time, we're offering 50% off site wide. that's 50% off all your favorites. this is the best time to save big and enjoy the taste of guaranteed perfection. what better way to celebrate than with a rich,

decadent quality of something you know you'll love? order now and get eight burgers free with your order. visit omaha steaks.com/tv today to find all our end of season savings. >> now's the time to go back in time and shine a light on the family journey that led to you. ancestry can help you piece together the past with billions of records, photos, and more. memberships are on sale now. >> patients who have sensitive teeth but also want whiter teeth. >> they have to make a choice one versus the other. >> sensodyne clinical white provides two shades whiter teet

free and get a 45 million coin bonus jackpot party a party in every spin. kobe. >> the making of a legend premieres january 25th on cnn. >> closed captioning brought to you by. meso book.com. >> if you or a loved one have mesothelioma, we'll send you a free book to answer questions you may have. >> call now and we'll come to you. >> 800

821 4000. >> tonight, a new cnn investigation finds that the los angeles fire department has long been one of the most understaffed crews in the nation. just last month, a group of firefighters visiting city hall said the department was, quote, at its breaking point as democrats who run the city in the state are now facing major questions over their response, most of that scrutiny in recent days has been placed directly at the feet of mayor karen bass. earlier, the mayor defended her role who's leading this response? >> i am leading this response. >> are you happy with how the response is going? past and present? >> well, i mean, you know, everything could be better. >> there is no question about that. >> my source tonight is l.a. resident peter hamby, who is also a founding partner of puck news and host of snapchat's good luck america. and it's great to have you here because you wrote this very detailed piece in puck that had the headline, the blood is in the water for for karen bass. when you look at this and you hear

from her and just what the last few days have been like, you know, without her critics, you know, blaming everything on her, what is the confidence level in her leadership right now in l.a.? >> based on calls with democrats here, caitlyn, and people who work in city politics and state politics. but more importantly than that, my friends, my neighbors, strangers i talk to out here in los angeles, around the city, the trust in her is has been incinerated, along with thousands of houses. she by leaving the state. the issue is not the reservoir that may or may not have been filled under her watch. the issue isn't necessarily the budget cuts that you just mentioned or this a the police department or the sheriff's office. whatever the issue is that she knew the city was facing a calamitous situation on friday, january 3rd and possibly thursday, according to the national weather service. and she still

chose to leave. and on top of that, we've all seen the video of her being ambushed. yes, by a sky news reporter. but standing stone faced in silence while this reporter for 92 seconds asked her, do you have anything to say to the city of los angeles? and so you and i have both covered a lot of politicians over the years. caitlyn, when you lose that trust, especially in our current era, when you know people choose their own facts from different media sources, trust with institutions and government has been eroding. like once you lose it, you can't get it back. and so the city of los angeles is a byzantine place. it is spread out geographically, by race, by class. the government is byzantine. you've got the county, you've got commissioners, the water department that was in charge of that reservoir has five commissioners. they are appointed by the mayor, and the mayor doesn't have that much power. so because of that, though, the one thing you have to do as mayor is show up and show leadership. and in those first few days, especially that first tuesday night, which was

very scary here around the city, she wasn't here. and that matters a lot. and she said, i think she told cbs today, caitlyn, if she could do it again, she wouldn't go. so she knows that was the issue here. >> yeah, she was asked because and for those who don't know the reason, this has gotten so much scrutiny as well is, you know, she pledged to not take these kind of international trips when she first took office. and she was asked, looking back, would you have taken that trip overseas? and she kind of started to say, you know, no, i'm going to focus today on. and then she said no. she had a pretty emphatic no. in that moment about whether or not she'd go on this trip. but i guess, you know, say, if you're someone who liked karen bass or donated to her, voted for her, and you're watching this, what is that leadership been like in the days since she's been back from in the last few days? has anything changed the view of that? >> i don't think