we could kevin cramer. have you seen or heard about new so-called clean continuing resolution? >> we just heard about it from your reporter while we were listening. it sounds pretty good to me. >> so i'll ask you follow-up. been -- hillary vaughn is a great reporter by the way. here is the thing, why do you all want to suspend and pay go. you spend on one side, nobody knows how much, nobody knows first bill. nobody knows this bill cost, i think this is a great disservice to took payers. pay go, remember that, if we'll increase spending on one side we'll cut it on the other, because idea was senator lummis, we spend too much money or, joe biden spent to much money creating inflation, we know that still around, i will get to federal reserve system in next segment. with charles, but point is, ha w -- what happened to pay go. >> democrats use pay go to spend more and raise taxes. republicans use pay go to spend more and borrow more. but neither party suesses -- used is to cut spending that is why it does not work. i am so pleased that elon musk and vivek ramaswamy are taking this d

larry: i'm joined by north dakota senator kevin cramer. pete hegseth for defense secretary, that's a bit of a change in your thinking. can you tell us why? it's very important and it's a leadership position you're taking. >> well, it's important for me and my constituents and it's the leadership position and we'll see if others follow. i think it's important, larry, 56 hi long and frank discussion with pete and talking to him and people that know him personally and looking through all the information and allegations against him by people unnamed if there's people at all, i ab coauthorly believe that pete is the right person for the job at this time. i've always looked his attitude about kicking down doors and changing the process and disrupting the place and always loved the fact that as a face for peace through strength and pete has a great one and i will say that we talk a lot about deterrence and nuclear deterrence and reference some sort of weapon system and deterrence isn't just a weapon system and it's a attitude and culture and it's

we have brian brenberg, liz peek, jason chaffetz on that and congressman jim jordan, senator kevin cramer, and pete hegseth looks better and better so because kash patel, but first up hillary vaughn on capitol hill, a busy day, what is the latest on the doge invasion? reporter: we're on hour 5 of what has been a marathon brainstorming session with elon musk and vivek ramaswamy who are holding court with lawmakers, we caught up with senator marsha blackburn who came out of the meeting to tell us this is an open mic night, law make takes turns to the mic and pitching their ideas to elon musk and vivek ramaswamy on where to make cuts. >> they are doing intake, they are listening. they are looking for ideas. here is the thing, every single member of the house and senate are a part of this effort, we hope our democrat colleagues will join us. reporter: today capitol hill field trip not just about getting down to dirty details about where to trim fat but a way for p musk and ramaswamy to sniff out who will help them, and who will get in the way, some democrats edg doge does not hold purse sprin

maria: senator kevin cramer this morning. thank you, sir.allout of the ousting of syria, bashar al-assad, how iran is taking the blows while israel gains ground in the middle east heritage foundation's victoria coates is here, next. you're watching "mornings with maria" live on fox business. stay with us. confident. measured. ready. the markets, like life, will turn and challenge us. but when emotions run high, we stay grounded. with the hcm buyline, we work to empower investors, in navigating market volatility and complex conditions. we provide a diverse portfolio with proprietary mutual funds and etfs aimed at growth and preservation. so you can invest with confidence. visit howard c.m. funds dot com. at harbor freight, we design and test our own tools. and sell them directly to you. no middleman. just quality tools you can trust at prices you'll love. whatever you do, do it for less at harbor freight. ♪ i'm kevin hart. i'm a leading man, ceo, media mogul, a board member... he keeps going and going and going... just like my chase freedom u

. ♪ cooks republican north dakota senator kevin cramer talked about his support of former fox news hostete hegseth to serve as defense secretary in the next administration senator cramer's comments came after a closed-door meeting which they talked about his views on women serving in combat and his reported history of excessive drinking. this is about 10 minutes. cooks are the be to go? what's in it very well think it went well it was frank. it was frank. [laughter] that's the best word to use her cooks would you talk about? >> we talked about the obvious issues the allegations from various anonymous sources. we talked about his mother of course and just briefly in her coming to his defense. as you know his wife is with him. i asked is there anything else that we don't know that could surprise us that you know to be true he said there's absolutely nothing. unless somebody make something up. i said well that is always a possibility for sure. but i said one of the thing that hurts people the most in this business, and my business is our surprises. so are there any more surprises he said n

republican senator kevin cramer. as you see, he's standing by live. can't fool myself. it was the most exciting time in the world. >> his life had extremely joyful moments and some really difficult moments. you only come across an artist like luther vandross once in a lifetime. >> luther never too much new year's day on cnn some people just know they can save hundreds on car insurance by checking allstate first. >> like, you know, to check your school's sang first before saying it. high tide, high tide. >> guys. high tide, high tide, high tide, high tide. >> roll tide yeah. >> checking first is smart, so check allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds time. you're in good hands with allstate long after guests leave. >> viruses, bacteria linger. air fresheners add a scent, but only lysol air sanitizer helps erase the trace, eliminating odor and killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. scent can't sanitize lysol can. >> my plane has mechanical problems. >> i'll try to get there as soon as i can. >> breakfast looks delicious as always. >> having a ch

but i also spoke late last night with senator from north dakota, kevin cramer, who made clear that ater his meeting with hegseth, which spanned more than an hour, john he does feel like he could be on a path to voting affirmatively for his nomination. here's what he said. they talked about in that meeting the drinking thing is a pretty significant issue. >> whether you have a problem or don't have a problem or you think you have a problem or you think you don't have a problem, and he said, my commitment is to not touch alcohol while i have this position and kevin cramer said that during the course of their conversation, he made clear to pete hegseth that as the defense department head, you need to be ready to take calls at three in the morning. >> and pete hegseth said back to him, essentially that three in the morning, three in the afternoon, every minute in between he would be prepared to take those phone calls. obviously a really important role for national security. he meets again with lawmakers on capitol hill this is just part of making the rounds getting some of those commitmen

. >> amy, let me show you what republican senator kevin cramer says about the allegations against mr. hegseth . >> does not give you any pause on pete hegseth? >> it is a pretty big problem, given that we have the sexual assault problem in our military , that a number of us and certainly the champions being kirsten gillibrand and joni ernst, but i have been on board with them and in support of their legislation to deal with it since the cheney command was not, and so, yeah, it becomes a problem. you know, this is why you have background checks, this is why you have hearings, this is why you go through the scrutiny. i am not going to prejudge them, but yeah, it is a pretty concerning accusation. >> amy? >> well, it is a very concerning accusation. we clearly still have a problem with sexual assault in the military, but you know, i think with regards to pete hegseth, his moral failings are actually overshadowed -- overshadowing the simple fact that he is the most unqualified pick for secretary of defense really ever. i mean, he has almost no government experience or experience working w

. >> reporter: now, another senator, kevin cramer, told me yesterday after an hour long meeting with thinks he feels good about hegseth. that he is not committed to vote for him finally on the senate floor if he gets there, but wants to make sure hegseth makes tell him it's not going to be a pleasant experience. >> tim, we heard hegseth express he was being kavanaughed. he blamed the media while also promising to stop drinking and kevin cramer talked about that after his meeting with hegseth wednesday. >> the drinking thing is a pretty significant issue. whether you have a problem or don't or think you have a problem or don't think you have a problem. he said my commitment is the not touch alcohol while i'd have to position. i said it's really important we have a clear eyed secretary of defense if the alarm goes off or the phone rings at 3:00 in the morning. he said, he used the 3:00 in the morning, 3:00 in the afternoon, and any hour in between. >> tim, is it helping him to promise not to drink or somewhat extraordinary that he would even have to say that? >> probably both. i do thi

i was talking about senator kevin cramer of north dakota. he was i had asked him about the last time a cabinet nominee had been rejected. that was john tower in 1989 over issues of womanizing and drunkenness. and i asked cramer about that. the fact that that standard was set back in 1989 compared to the allegations similar allegations that hegseth is facing now john tower was rejected over claims of womanizing and drunkenness houthis face similar allegations. the standards now just changed. >> well, i don't think there's much question that that the tolerance for certain things has changed, but i would say, manu, in many respects grace abounds all the more and i think that's not such a bad thing. that's what i mean. i love a good redemption story, and i hope that's what, what pete has but there are several other senators who are still concerned, including senator joni ernst, who said that she wants to have a thorough, frank conversation with pete hegseth when they meet later this week and senator susan collins of maine, who told me that she wa

. >> so that's senator kevin cramer talking about why he thinks president elect should come to congress to make the case directly. but right now, jd vance is the vice president elect, is being the conduit for the trump transition team trying to get republicans on board with a government funding plan before it runs out of funding. tonight. >> but still, i mean, what's very clear is nothing is clear. they say they've got a plan. they say they could have votes, but no one has seen this plan. and we've just had democrats, a couple democrats on the show who said who have already said this morning, democrats are going to vote, aren't going to vote for anything if they're not part of the discussion. it seems that that's unlikely as of this morning, that they were part of that. the meetings that have been going on so far, and he's going to stick to it. she's going to stick with it. the speaker's office is right now right over her shoulder. so she's going to be trying to chase people down to bring us this information as we speak. andy, thank you so much. keep us updated, sarah. >> all right. joi

. >> so to your point, matt gorman, this was kevin cramer on the hill yesterday talking with some of our colleagues about what donald trump should do next. watch. >> i think one of the ways that this could get fixed fairly quickly would be if president trump would come up to washington tomorrow or spend the weekend here and and talk to people face to face. um, let's face it. i mean, he's, you know, he's got a lot of sway and persuasion. he acts more like the sitting president than the sitting president. and if he'd come up, i think he could help move things along. >> plausible. >> i look, i'll put it this way. one of the things i was struck by is donald trump is not president yet. where is joe biden on this? i think there's an mia factor on biden to 12 years ago. it was him and mcconnell, biden and mcconnell that really were the ones instrumental for not letting the debt limit be breached in back in the summer of 2011. where the heck is he right now negotiating a deal that they already had? >> they? biden they were part of that deal. biden. >> biden hasn't said a word on this. >> he

you know, kevin cramer told me we cannot have any more surprises. and he really did hammer home that point with hegseth making it clear that in the senate and in the confirmation process that is the last thing that you'd want. again we are a really long ways away from the potential public confirmation battles, but that is going to be another place where senators are going to be looking really closely to how hegseth handles himself, how he handles some of the tough lines of questioning you might see. but again, this is going to take time to play out. they feel very good, though, about where things stand right now. >> and then, of course, there is the fbi background check, which is just getting underway. and that could also provide some surprises. we will see. lauren fox, our thanks to you. let me turn now to cnn's zachary wolf. he's the author of cnn's what matters newsletter. he took a look at another trump transition effort increasing efficiency by potentially trimming $2 trillion from the government budget. zach, we're talking, of course, about do

. >>> the son of north dakota senator kevin cramer was sentenced to 28 years in prison yesterday in connectione deaths of a sheriff's deputy during a chase last year. ian kramer previously pleaded guilty to nine charges, including homicide, while fleeing a police officer, tied to a pursuit that ended in a crash that killed a 53-year-old deputy. senator kramer has previously said his 43-year-old son struggles with mental illness. a spokesperson for the senator did not respond to nbc's requests for comment. >>> the countdown is on to the countdown. times square is teeming with excitement as work crews and police prepare for hundreds of thousands of people who will converge tonight at the crossroads to ring in 2025. from our new york ation, marc santia has more. >> two, one. happy new year! >> reporter: with a flip of the switch, the world famous crystal ball made a dry run before its big moment. >> really cool. this is my first time being here. >> probably a once in a lifetime thing, right? there's millions of people, but still not a lot of people who can say i was on the street in times square.

so you heard a fellow republican senator, kevin cramer of north dakota say that he has concerns about the allegations of drinking. we should note senator cramer tragically lost his son to alcoholism in 2018. hegseth did address this earlier today with megyn kelly on her podcast. take a listen um, you know, there's an interesting one there. >> first of all, um i've never had a drinking problem. i don't i'm never no one's ever approached me and said, oh, you you should really look at getting help for a drink. never. i've never sought counseling, never sought help. i respect and appreciate people who who do. >> we also heard from senator wicker that hegseth said in their meeting that if he's confirmed to the position, he will not drink. do you have any concerns about these issues? and if there isn't a problem, why need he can swear to sobriety. >> well, you know, he's made those affirmative comments and said something similar to me in our meeting. >> i think he's trying to address these issues head on as they've been swirling around. and i think you started to see his mom was interviewed

uh, you heard kevin cramer there. do you agree with him that trump should have made this ask earlier if that's what he wanted? >> no, i mean, this is like donald trump does things like, why did it take donald trump to say, shouldn't somebody be looking into hunter biden's deal with ukraine like this? went past the state department, past the department of justice, past the federal agencies that are supposed to look into this? finally, the commander in chief looks into it. i mean, the reality is congress has known since may of last year that. >> but what does that have to do with funding the government and what your plan is to do here? because what it has to do is donald trump observes things that people, regular people back home, would do it this way. >> we've known in congress since last may when we passed the fiscal responsibility act, that you have a date certain january 2nd, the debt ceiling expires january 2nd. he's like, oh, no, we can cover for it. we can kick the can down the road to the last minute. donald tru

. ♪ cooks republican north dakota senator kevin cramer talked about his support of former fox news hosth to serve as defense secretary in the next

committee which will oversee his nomination including roger wicker, incoming chairman, including kevin cramer, a member of the panel, and as you mentioned, joni ernst. not wicker and creamer indicated they want to be supportive, although they were not that definitive. joni ernst said no such thing. she tweeted that it was a frank and thorough conversation. now, just think about all the things the chris, that these senators are being asked to overlook. there is a cascading series of strikes against hegseth. the financial mismanagement he was accused of a veterans organization for the sexual assault allegation that he denies, but his team doesn't deny the financial settlement to pay off the accuser, there are allegations about how he treats women generally initially brought up by his mother in the letter that you played. she denies that. and most recently there are allegations that he has an alcohol problem. we know he told senator wicker if he gets confirmed to be secretary of defense he won't drink. now, the fact he is even in a position where he has to make that promise is not a good sign fo

>> there were two meetings last night crucial to pete hegseth's -- he also had a meeting with kevin cramermself, that he pressed him on a lot of these issues that everyone has been talking about. he specifically talked about this issue of alcoholism and whether or not that's a problem. kevin cramer himself has had alcohol abuse as an issue in his own family. so, it is something he is very nervous about, something he keeps an eye on and he's certainly concerned about the person who would be in charge of the pentagon having that as an issue as well. and kevin cramer told us in that meeting that pete hegseth committed to completely not drinking at all anymore. said he would be prepared to take a phone call at 3:00 p.m., at 5:00 p.m., and not have to worry about being under the influence of alcohol at any time. i think what this podcast that's been revealed from 2021 tells us, and i think it also goes back to mika's point about what his mother said about his treatment of women, he's a changed man, if you listen to the megyn kelly interview, hegseth says repeatedly over and over again, i don't

rich: some republicans are looking to do a little bit more here is senator kevin cramer.ks of love one of the first ideas i read about of course in simplification of the tax code. therein lies one of the first opportunities with the new congress through budget reconciliation paid the simplification of the tax credit could be the greatest gift to the economy, into every taxpayer in this country pretty and certainly the business. >> peter, that was a goal seven years ago. congress is doing this, we got the tax system that we have now albeit with lower rates but still n nonexempt with a simple thing on the planet. is congress capable of simple find the tax code? >> it is very difficult for congress is come accustomed to using the tax code to intent intensify certain panes who want company and to undertake more r&d. so we give them an r&d tax credit that we had to write eligibility requirements for things of that nature. we will have accelerated depreciation on equipment and what have you. it is easier said than done. my feeling is we are in a very good spot when it comes to

. >> just a reminder, despite those comments there from republican senator kevin cramer, elon musk was and was not elected to any position in government. joining us now, special correspondent at van vanity fa molly john fast. where do you begin? let's just start, first of all, put it in perspective. just how unusual is it for an unelected private citizen, in fact the world's richest man, to have this much sway? because despite some insistance of trump land, this bill seemed like the original bill, seemed like it was on track to pass until musk started tweeting about it? >> yeah. there is no precedent for this. look, he's the richest man in the world. he also owns a major social media platform, x. he has -- he also controls satellites, right? he has government contracts. he has government security. i mean, this is like -- talk about a conflict, right? he's got -- he's -- he's -- he's trying to run the government. he owns some of the government. i mean, it's just an incredible bit, but what's also really interesting about him is, a, he's not from here, right? he wasn't born in this count

at this point, you have senators, kevin cramer, was openly musing about how he would be happy to voternst. somebody who's not been nominated for that path. there are a lot of questions that are going to continue to be asked. once you're this wounded, it's pretty difficult to make a comeback. look, the senate is not the center of the resistance but a number of these folks are showing they're not going to be complete pushovers. if there are questions about his treatment of women, about substance abuse, financial mismanagement, his experience and ability to do this job, there are going to be senators who are going to want real answers to that and we're seeing that with their desire to get the fbi background checks. that's not a great sign for people like this who don't have a lot of experience to back up or good will with those senators to stand on at this moment. >> but it's still a fairly closely divided senate. better shape than some might have thought they would be but what about joni and senator hagerty? is there a risk at putting one of those in. >> with the senate, governors there

that includes roger wicker, the incoming chairman, it includes kevin cramer, a member of the panel. and as you mentioned, joni ernst. now, wicker and cramer indicated that they want to be supportive, although they were not that definitive. joni ernst said no such thing. she said, and she tweeted after that meeting only that it was a frank and thorough conversation. now, just think about all the things, chris, that these senators are being asked to overlook. there is a cascading series of strikes against hegseth that they all have to consider, there is the financial mismanagement he was accused of at the veterans organization, there was the sexual assault allegation from several years ago that he denies, but his team doesn't deny, the financial settlement payoff to the accuser, there are allegations about how he treats women generally, which were initially brought up by his mother in the letter, which was just also played. she denies that. and, most recently, there are allegations that he has an alcohol problem. we know that he told senator wicker that if he gets confirmed to be secr

we'll ask about it all with north dakota senator kevin cramer. he joins us next.es. today, we're nearly 30,000 u.s. employees strong. in more than 60 u.s. based facilities, across 16 states, we couldn't be more proud to play our part in supporting americans who work the land and build a better tomorrow. ♪ nothing runs like a deere™. (vo) weight loss. for so long, i felt stuck. but zepbound means change. zepbound is for adults with obesity, to help lose weight and keep it off. activating 2 naturally occurring hormone receptors in my body, it works differently. it's changing what i believe is possible when it comes to weight loss. it's changing how much weight i lose. up to 48 pounds. and changing what happens. don't take if allergic to it, or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. stop zepbound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gall

this is from kevin cramer, a senator. he says, quote, i suspect they have possible backup plans.he only person they were thinking about. that's kind of striking, kramer has been more positive about hegseth than a lot of others here. he added he's willing to give hegseth a shot, but do you see this nomination as doomed? do you think hegseth can pull this out? >> i don't think so. i don't think statements like that coming from the republicans that trump is going to need to support this nomination happening at this point are good indicators. and honestly, i think that beyond, he has a number of allegations. he's dealing with, he's also dealing with a number of things. he himself has said on the record about women in combat that i think in addition to you mentioned ernst and her position. the are things, it's not a matter of an allegation. it's his actual position. they are also causing serious problems for him and for this nomination. i think it's interesting that trump does seem to be kind of withholding his own political capital and not leaning in, with i think a hope that he can

him, which would indicate she probably still has concerned, and senators who are talking like kevin cramere answered a lot of his questions but that doesn't necessarily mean all of the issue surrounding this confirmation have been wrapped up. hegseth still has a lot of work to do. how much longer donald trump will allow him to dangle in this space of kind of suspended animation i think remains an open question. but the fact that he's still coming up here to the hill, he won't be here tomorrow, but his team tells us he has a full schedule next week, shows trump is at least giving him the opportunity to earn that trust of at least 51 senators which is what it would take for him to be confirmed. >> you mentioned senators kramer and earnest. here's what we were able to get from them on camera. >> the drinking thing is a pretty significant issue. whether you have a problem or don't have a problem or you think you have a problem or don't have a problem, and he said my commitment is to not touch alcohol while i have this position. i said, it's really important that we have a clear-eyed secretary

. >> this was the case for senator kevin cramer of north dakota, who had the last meeting yesterday with hegseth on capitol hill. he said that he point blank asked him what hegseth would do if at 3 a.m., he got a call, would he be ready to deal with that if he was leading the pentagon and, you know, cramer said he was really satisfied with the answer they got from hegseth, which was that he would be ready. then he'd be ready at three in the afternoon or any other hour in between. i also on my way over here, spoke with senator mike rounds, a republican from south dakota who had just met with hegseth today and said he could potentially see a situation where he backed him. you know, they want to see this confirmation hearing play out. they are also making the case in these private meetings that this process is going to happen in public, that hegseth has to be ready to answer tough questions, not just in these behind closed doors meetings, but also in a public confirmation hearing. >> and lauren the co-leaders of trump's so-called department of government efficiency, or doge, they're also on

. >> and we've heard from others who kevin cramer who said, you know he does feel like he's leaning toward supporting him barring any surprises, are you confident that no surprises are going to come out as a result of that background check oh i am expecting that. >> the background check is going to take a lot of the false stories that have been circulated in the media, and it's going to put them completely to bed. i think that the surprise you're going to find is how false all the reporting has been. >> okay so a lot of news just just made here. i just want to say the background check name has been submitted so that means the fbi will start that process. you're saying that this woman could speak publicly about this? the center of that 2017 complaint, and that you are willing to turn over that complaint from where he previously worked to the to the armed services committee. tim parlatore, thank you very much for your time tonight all right. >> thank you. >> of course, on this note, i should note responsibility of us senators for any pick by a president is to be a check and balance on their

what she called a frank and thorough discussion with hegseth when she meets with him republican kevin cramer of north dakota called the drinking allegations, quote, concerning. >> but said he was leaning yes on the nomination, telling cnn's manu raju quote, i'm interested in who pete hegseth is today and who he is going forward. susan collins of maine had this to say as a i've repeatedly said to you, i believe that we need an fbi background check to evaluate the allegations. well, to that point, late today, we learned that the transition team has signed a memorandum of understanding with the department of justice, permitting just that which in turn was followed by word that hegseth will be appearing tomorrow in defense of his nomination on fox. cnn's kaitlan collins starts us off tonight with that. not far from mar-a-lago. so what more can you tell us about the fate of his nomination it seems to be getting more difficult by the day. >> anderson now, that doesn't mean that he's going to be pulled. and we haven't heard anything like that yet. but when you're hearing from people who are trump's

. >> and you know, i think that senator kevin cramer put it best this week. >> he said, i told pete hegsethsenators do not like is surprises. and moving forward, what republican lawmakers are looking at is does anything else come out? are there other allegations that surface? some of these members had positive meetings with pete hegseth this week, including senator mike rounds, who said that he could potentially at some point get to yes on hegseth. yes, he thought hegseth had more work to do, but the confirmation fight is going to be one that takes some time and it's going to center around how pete hegseth does in a confirmation hearing. that will happen in a public setting. a lot of these meetings, you know, senators are asking sensitive questions behind closed doors that all changes when you move to more of a public setting. once again all eyes are on senator joni ernst a republican from iowa who sits on the senate armed services committee and is someone who's been very outspoken about believing that women should be allowed to be in combat, something that pete hegseth has made comments ab

republican senator kevin cramer said he wouldn't rule out backing hegseth if he vows to stop drinkingt does it indicate to you that the bar for leading the pentagon is to promise not to drink i consider that a rhetorical question. >> yes, yes look obvious obviously. >> i mean you know, the idea that someone who's had a lifelong issue with alcohol and he acknowledges that he's had an issue with alcohol just asserting that, okay, if you confirm me, i'll stop drinking when we know there are you know, yes, they were they were not sourced. the fox news colleagues who attested to the fact that they were concerned about his drinking recently uh, has to be really unsettling. uh alyssa is right. i mean, he doesn't have the resume for the job in terms of managerial experience to take over the most complex organization in the united states government, perhaps in the world. but beyond that how do you put the the security of the united states of america in the hands of someone who has potentially has this problem? and how do you accept his word? we know how alcoholism works, and i'm not diagnosing

. >> another republican senator that we heard from today, kevin cramer, also had voiced concern on that i haven't made a decision, but i'm looking to be supportive because i had a very good meeting in the allegation was made about him being intoxicated at several times, and he categorically said he would stop drinking altogether if he becomes secretary of defense. >> we'll see what what the investigations reveal and how the hearing goes. >> one of the things i'd love to hear is that he's committed to not drinking. i think if he would be familiar with the problems of alcoholism and the dumb things we do when we drink too much, it'd be really nice if he would set that one aside for for good now, hegseth today in the interview he did, was asked about these concerns that you heard from republicans, and he said that he does not believe he has a drinking problem first of all, i've never had a drinking problem. >> i don't i'm never no one's ever approached me and said, oh you you should really look at getting help for a drink. never. i've never sought counseling, never sought help. i respect a

. >> one thing that kevin cramer said this week which i think is absolutely true and speaks to kristen's point, is there cannot be any more surprises we are not in a business where surprises are good. >> and this is a trump ally said. >> this is a trump ally, south dakota, who represents north dakota. north dakota is an incredibly conservative senator, but also had serious questions for hegseth about his alcohol use and what that looks like and whether or not he'd be willing to give up alcohol as part of his confirmation process if he got the job to run the pentagon. and, you know, specifically in their conversation, one of the things that came up was, what are you going to do if you get a call at three in the morning and hegseth said, i will be ready. whether it's three in the morning, three in the afternoon or any time in between. but that just speaks to dana that this is not a softball set of senators that are certainly going to be voting for him. i think this is still really an active discussion. yeah. >> i mean, when joni ernst said it was a frank and candid discussion, we all know

and today, listen to what republican senator kevin cramer said about his resignation. >> i'm glad he did it, to be honest, because it clearly, when it comes to his relationship with donald trump, it was tainted by the fact that he authorized the fbi to raid his home and to think somehow he could, you know, survive that and maintain his job while donald trump becomes president would have been untenable. so i'm glad he did it before he got fired. >> when he says that it tainted the relationship between trump and wray, when when wray and a court approved that that search warrant of mar-a-lago after trump refused to give back the classified documents when, you know, i reported on this at the time, they asked repeatedly to get them back. what do you make of a republican saying wray ruined that relationship by by having that happen? >> well, i'm not sure that's exactly what he meant, but but the point is, if you take the adjectives away is correct. when trump was asked just a few days ago what was wrong with chris wray, he said he raided my beautiful home, invaded my beautiful home. mar-a-

senator kevin cramer, a republican from north dakota, said he believes that he can support patel's nomination. i also heard from cornyn on monday after his meeting with kash patel, that he was prepared, barring any unforeseen circumstance, to go ahead and support kash patel. so this is all coming as patel is really starting to garner support among republicans and those critical votes that he's going to need as he moves forward, vying for this job. >> okay. lauren fox, thanks so much. sticking with the criminal justice system. also in our politics lead, while the final days of a presidency are typically reserved for political pardons, president biden's pardon of his son hunter ignited a debate over what the president is exactly doing with his pardon power. as of now, biden has granted fewer pardons than trump or obama. many civil rights activists and faith leaders, and now even those within his own party, feel biden has fallen way short on his 2020 campaign promise to reform the criminal justice system. and they urge the president to use his clemency power during these final days in office. so

hegseth on his way to meet with republican senator kevin cramer of north dakota.d defense secretary, just a few minutes ago. greetings. how are you doing so do you feel confident after your meetings today to be confirmed? >> great meetings on that with all the senators today. >> i feel confident. >> i feel confident every day while the president elect may be urging hegseth to keep fighting, there are also reports that mr. trump is lining up a plan b in case seth's nomination falls through. >> sources tell cnn that possible replacements include republican florida governor ron desantis, iowa senator joni ernst and tennessee senator bill hagerty. joining us now is republican senator rick scott. he's a navy veteran who serves on the senate armed services committee, as well as representing the great state of florida. senator scott, you were among a group of republican senators who met with hegseth on monday. this morning you posted on twitter or x, quote, i support president trump's pick and i look forward to his swift confirmation. so you don't even want to wait for t

heard from both the incoming chairman of the armed services committee, roger wicker, as well as kevin cramerrom north dakota who told me last night that in a very frank part of their discussion yesterday in his office, he had asked what are you going to do if someone calls you at three in the morning? are you going to be ready? and essentially what hegseth said was he'd be ready at 3 a.m., he'd be ready at 3 p.m., and he'd be ready at any hour in between. now hour. morgan reimer was pressing hegseth as to what he was telling republican senators about. some of those allegations of drinking. here's what he said there, lauren. yeah and of course, yeah. pam. i mean it's just important to point out here that when he's having these meetings part of what is happening inside is that senators are level setting with him about what this process is actually going to feel like right now. these meetings, they're happening in private. hegseth maybe doesn't want to talk about what senators are telling him. >> but there's a moment where this is going to be a confirmation battle. these are going to be happeni

also, he's going to be meeting with senator kevin cramer, another member of the armed services committee, who has made clear he has questions about some of these issues in his background. and so you can expect that these are not going to be meetings where some of these tougher issues don't come up. that is what we saw on monday evening when he had met with a series of republicans who said, one after another, that these issues about the alleged sexual assault that pete hegseth denies didn't come up. they also said the issues that were raised in the new yorker story about excessive drinking did not come up. so i think that that is something that is just really going to be key today, that these are not the kind of easy, breezy meetings that he might have experienced in the past. kate. >> yeah, and that was the key with the earlier meetings when they came out saying giving, giving their full support of hegseth is these allegations, these accusations, they did not come up we were told in those meetings joni ernst for sure that very serious, very respected republican senator is going to be ask

. >> kevin cramer who expressed some reservations, ask him questions about that. the senator from dakotas he who's he lost a son to alcoholism. correct. and he he seems satisfied and says he's going to support the nomination and so that's what this is what advice and consent looks like. right. nominees come. they meet with senators. they get tough questions in private. if they don't get good answers, then they get tough questions in public. i think the hearing will matter. joni ernst is on the committee. if she doesn't get her questions answered in private, you can bet she's going to fire away in the hearing. i think if he clears the hearing, he wins the floor. >> so i spoke with texas attorney tim parlatore yesterday about the mounting allegations against his client. take a listen why do you think there are so many people coming out of the woodwork saying these things that have to do with either sexual or alcoholic impropriety? >> this is unfortunately, one of the things that has happened in this country when people are going for a confirmed position. >> well, no

we also know that he has other key meetings including one with senator kevin cramer, a republican fromth dakota, who i spoke to just a few hours ago, who said this about what he wants to hear from hegseth one of the things i'd love to hear is that he's committed to not drinking. >> i think if he would be familiar with the problems of alcoholism and the dumb things we do when we drink too much, it'd be really nice if he would set that one aside for for good, if not at least for through a through a term as secretary and hegseth already met this morning with senate armed service committee chairman roger wicker. >> he will be the incoming chairman starting in january, and he will really be responsible for ushering hegseth through this confirmation battle in the weeks and months ahead. he told our colleague manu raju that his meeting with hegseth went well. we also expect that hegseth is going to meet with the incoming republican leader, john thune, another person who knows very well how the senate works, how votes work up here, and is obviously going to be making it very clear to hegseth w

one of the people i talked to yesterday, kevin cramer, who sat down with hegseth after that meeting, said that he told hegseth directly, i am one of the nicer members on this committee you are going to be facing really hard questions in a public setting, just sort of level setting and preparing, hegseth for what's to come john, it's an interesting way to put it lauren fox with new reporting on capitol hill. >> lauren, great to see you. thank you very much. so what happens when those deliveries that are supposed to be speedy are not so speedy? lawsuits. hi, lauren. by lauren against amazon can't fool myself. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. his life extremely joyful moments and some really difficult moments. >> you only come across an artist like luther vandross once in a lifetime. >> luther. never too much new year's day on. >> i still love to surf snowboard, and of course skate. so i take magnesium to support my muscle and bone health kunal's high absorption magnesium glycinate helps me get the full benefits of magnesium. kunal, the brand i trust. >> do you know what t

host: kevin cramer yesterday on capitol hill.nother one of the members pete hegseth met with yesterday. joni ernst of iowa, a veteran, has worked on sexual assault issues in the military. "i appreciate his service to our country, something we both share. we had a frank and thorough conversation. " this comes as reports, including the wall street journal, new york times, that donald trump is considering other replacement nominees for pete hegseth, particularly ron desantis emerging yesterday according to several sources. we are asking you do you think pete hegseth should be concerned -- confirmed as defense secretary? we will take a look at that special line for active and retired military. that number is (202) 488-8003. we will start in cleveland. william, republican. caller: good morning, sir. i wanted to say it's very important we have a person who will represent as a military representative for our country. someone who was a veteran and has military experience. as well as --whether it is pete hegseth or not, i can't think of h

subcommittee on transportation and infrastructure, led by chairman mark kelly and ranking member kevin cramer, for their and their staff's dedication to this. i also want to thank again my friend chairman carper. we've worked together. this is our, i think, second wrda bill that we did together. it's a fitting tribute to your decades of public service to have this piece of legislation named after you. from chairman carper's staff, i'd like to thank courtney taylor, john kaine, lynnia saaby, nicole cam evacy, ryan smyth, claire shanklin, jordan smallwood and tara croft. and from my staff, seated behind me, adam tomlinson, murphy barrett, libby calloway, dan lik -- excuse me, dan lynn carvingy, reb ek -- dan linkowski. i strongly encourage my colleagues to support the house amendment to s. 4367, the thomas r. carper water resources development act. with the permission of the chairman, i told him i wanted to mention one last thing before his remarks. i want to talk on a separate topic. i would like to pay tribute to my friend, the senior senator from kentucky and our stalwart republican leader,

think with joni ernst as the example, though i will say i think other senators -- i believe it was kevin cramerhave warned hegseth about the way that he's talked about women in combat and the fact that some of the very senators that he'll be testifying before, senator tammy duckworth among them, have been women in combat themselves who have the physical scars of that to show for it. so that's going to be yet another wrinkle if hegseth does move forward in this process. but for someone like ernst, her calculus is so layered, the fact she's up in 2026. we've already seen republican senators who are not constant trump backers already drop primary challengers. she probably doesn't want to be among those. there's the fact, though, too, that she is also, at least in the reporting that we've done, a name that's in the mix, if the hegseth nomination ends up falling apart, everyone at that table you are sitting at knows the way to get in trump's good graces and stay there is to stay loyal. by saying i'm supporting the process and falling short of saying i'm supporting the man, ernst is saying that she's