i'll say this for lisa murkowski. anybody that says no on this or any other nomination, it takes real courage to, in today's political environment. it used to be that senators understood what their job was to make an independent decision. now to go against donald trump takes a lot of courage. i guess it's kind of doing your job, but we'll call it courageous. and she gets a lot of credit for that. and i hope there are others that join her, not just on this one, but other nominations that are, you know, completely ill qualified for the for the positions they've been nominated for. >> former congressman adam kinzinger, always good to talk to you. thank you. >> yep. see you. >> we are staying on top of this critical hegseth vote. it is just minutes away. we're live on capitol hill. we'll take you there next. plus, we are also closely following the new fires and new evacuations in southern california. firefighters are continuing to face dangerous conditions that are only growing with these explosive fires. that's all ahead

lisa murkowski, susan collins. people were looking toward joni ernst, but she's indicated that she's going to stay on board with pete hegseth. is there anybody else that could be a no vote after all? roger wicker, the chair of the armed services committee, was signaling that he did want the vice president to stand by to be a tiebreaking vote. >> so the only. >> other person i. >> would look to is mitch mcconnell. >> mcconnell voted yes today. >> on advancing the nomination, which listen. >> it's a good signal. >> it's not a complete. you're out of the woods situation, meaning you're going to get mcconnell's vote. i don't know that you're going. >> to. >> get his vote. he hasn't said one. >> way or another. >> listen, the people who are. >> in charge of. >> seth's nomination believe. very strongly that he will be confirmed to be secretary of defense. >> hard stop. >> now, does that mean. that that jd vance won't have to come up here. >> to break. >> a tie vote on. >> his on a. >> 830 on a friday night? no, it does n

senator lisa murkowski, also issuing a very lengthy statement. really siding with a lot of the concerns that democrats had raised as well, she said in that statement. while the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, that past behaviors, mr. hegseth has admitted to including infidelity on multiple occasions demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed services. and jake, despite their opposition, that was not enough to stop his nomination from going forward. it did clear a key hurdle overcoming a democratic led filibuster on a 5149 vote. an incredibly narrow vote for a nomination. typically, defense secretary supported widely along both sides of the aisle, but not on this one. hegseth, though poised to be confirmed as late as tomorrow night. jake. >> all right. manu raju on capitol hill, thanks so much. let's bring in former senior adviser to president obama, david axelrod, and former trump white house communications director alyssa farah griffin. david, presid

senator susan collins and senator lisa murkowski. >> he is a good man. >> trump stood by his choice.i was surprised collins and lisa murkowski would do that. >> it appears those will not be enough to stop his confirmation. >> it is so rare to get republican senators willing to oppose a trump nominee. >> next week is shaping up to be a consequential one when a trio of trump's top picks robert f. kennedy jr., tulsi gabbard, and patel face their confirmation hearings here on capitol hill. >> that will be quite a day. thank you. thousands of antiabortion rights activists converged on the capitol today for the march for life. trump addressed the crowd in a video while vance spoke in person. they are encouraged by trump election victory in his decision to pardon protest who blocked access to abortion clinics. hamas says it will release four soldiers abducted in the october 7th attacks tomorrow. they will also release more palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of a fragile cease-fire agreement. we get the latest from ramy inocencio. >> 475 days ago, terrorists through naama levy into

i talked to senator lisa murkowski. is one who has broken ranks, repeatedly voted against pete hegseth. i asked her specifically, are you concerned about the backlash from donald trump it should not be a situation where you. >> feel that you can't. exercise your. >> your conscience. >> your. >> judgment, because of fear of retribution or retaliation? >> um, this is still america. >> as best i know. >> trump said he was surprised by your vote. >> i didn't talk to him. he didn't talk to me about it. whether it's. >> the. >> president or the majority leader or the minority leader. i think they've. >> they've all come. >> to recognize that. lisa murkowski does her homework and does what she thinks is right for her constituents and for the right reasons. >> i mean, there are some senators who are going to be difficult for trump to get get them to fall in line. >> well, that's so interesting that she said that he didn't even call. yeah. >> at least some people should have like, thought, you know, maybe she's in play. we shoul

lisa murkowski just won reelection back in 2022. that was after the trump impeachment vote. she was able to defy any challenge and stay in congress. she's not going to be up until 2028 again. so i suspect that trump folks in the maga world are going to try to put retribution to these three. will they be successful, though in the past it just hasn't been right. >> and i saw an interview with susan, senator susan collins saying she is already getting pushback. i bet on on her twitter feed. amy, a word we hear thrown around a lot is mandate. pete hegseth has the opposite of a mandate. he enters this role by the skin of his teeth. how will that impact how he's received by the men and women of the military? >> well. >> you know. >> i actually think that the men and women of the military aren'. really watching. the confirmation hearings, like you and i might be doing. >> we. >> the men and women of the military, are going to follow orders. they are professional, as i said. but i do believe that pete hegseth comes into this position in the back of everybody's mind, especially milit

his this fact also contributed to lisa murkowski, the republican senator.asons, you know, she cited in terms of why she's not comfortable supporting headset's nomination. ana, we also have reporting that in one briefing received by wicker and reid, the chair and ranking member of the committee, trump's transition team told him that his ex-wife. pete hegseth ex-wife, samantha hegseth. spoke to the fbi. regarding her ex-husband and gave them a prepared statement saying he had and continues to have a problem. with alcohol abuse. that's according to two sources who spoke to our colleagues, julie sirkin and sarah fitzpatrick. headset's team denies all of those allegations from samantha hegseth, and said the claims are, quote, clearly and obviously false to any objective viewer. >> ana. >> okay. sahil kapur, thank you. keep us posted. if there is any new development that should shake loose during this hour. joining us now is former senior republican congressional advisor reena shah and former clinton adviser richard goodstein. and reena, as far as the white house

if lisa murkowski, susan collins, excuse me, ends up voting no tomorrow, in addition to senator lisa ll need two others in order for that nomination to be successfully blocked. i got to tell you, though, i just talked to several senate republicans downstairs in the same building as they were headed to this vote, senator john hoeven, for example, telling me that he's confident because he spoke to his conference that despite the no's that we may see out of lisa murkowski, susan collins, and maybe 1 or 2 others, that he thinks that this nomination will go forward earlier, roger wicker, who is the chairman of the senate republican senate armed services committee, that process texas nomination, had also said that he's confident they have the votes. but he did tell jd vance, he says not to go far. chris. >> julie sirkin, i know you'll keep us posted. thank you for that. and coming up, the latest in the trial over an alleged deadly crime spree against gay men in new york city. you're watching chris jansing reports watching chris jansing reports only on msnbc. it ain't my dad's razor, dad. ay

lisa murkowski of alaska. susan collins. >> of maine. >> today on. >> capitol hill, collins explained her no vote on hegseth to nbc news, and she went into damning. >> detail. >> i ended up. >> having a. >> number of concerns. >> they had to do with. >> his lack. of experience. in managing an. >> organization as. >> large and. >> as complex as the. >> pentagon. >> given that. >> he had had. >> a decidedly. >> mixed record in managing two very small. nonprofit veterans organizations where there were allegations of wasted. money and mismanagement, i was. disturbed about his comments on women in the military. when i asked him about that, he backtracked. but i did not find. it convincing because he. >> kept talking. >> about that. there were quotas for women. and that there were. >> standards were being eroded. >> in order. >> to allow. >> women to be in. >> combat roles. and i just. do not believe that. >> to be. >> the case. so and i guess a final point i would make is that he seemed. very eager to do a wholesal

people like lisa murkowski, susan collins and mitch mcconnell are not. afraid to vote against trump. they're not. afraid to go against trump. they proved that tonight, though. >> that begs the question of. >> how many times will they be willing to do this right? >> that was always the question. >> from the beginning, is how we knew that these three and some others were going to be the key republican senators to watch, but folks were wondering, how many are they willing to take? how many times are they willing to take. >> to. >> cross trump? mcconnell his big thing is defense. >> foreign policy. >> he's going to be the defense subcommittee chair for the appropriations committee. so this was one that was particularly one for him to watch. >> but i'm. >> curious to see. >> if those three will be willing to cross trump going forward. and then the second question is, you know. this was only three, which is significant, but it wasn't enough to tank the nominee because jd vance came in as a tie breaker. >> who were some. >> of those other folks that may cross t

lisa murkowski just won reelection back in 2022. that was after the trump impeachment vote. she was able to defy any challenge and stay in congress. she's not going to be up until 2028 again. so i suspect that trump folks in the maga world are going to try to put retribution to these three. will they be successful? though in the past it just hasn't been right. >> and i saw an interview with susan, senator susan collins saying she is already getting pushback. i bet on on her twitter feed. amy, a word we hear thrown around a lot is mandate. pete hegseth has the opposite of a mandate. he enters this role by the skin of his teeth. how will that impact how he's received by the men and women of the military? >> well. >> you know. >> i actually think that the men and women of the military aren't really watching the confirmation hearings. >> like you and i might. >> be doing. >> we. >> the men and women of the military. >> are going to follow orders. >> they are professional, as i said. >> but i do believe that pete hegseth. >> comes into this position in the back of everybody's min

lisa murkowski of alaska and susan collins of maine announcing they will vote against his confirmation, citing concerns about his management experience and the message he sends to women. murkowski writing, "i believe that character is the defining trait required of the secondary of defense, and must be prioritized without compromise." pointing to the allegations against hegseth of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. tonight, sources tell abc news hegseth told another senator, democrat elizabeth warren, that he paid the woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017 a $50,000 settlement. he has denied the assault allegations, claiming it was consensual. tonight, senator murkowski saying, "while the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, the past behaviors mr. hegseth has admitted to, including infidelity on multiple occasions, demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces." senator collins citing another matter. hegseth's statement last year that women should not serve in combat roles. >

two republicans, lisa murkowski, susan collins, expected to vote no. we don't yet know about senators mitch mcconnell and thom tillis. thom tillis did speak to manu raju earlier today and indicated if he found something new that might have impact his vote, but it sounded like he was heading toward a confirming vote. but again, we don't know for sure that will be come on the air tonight. senators just started the final confirmation vote on president trump's controversial pick to lead the pentagon. pete hegseth himself has just arrived on capitol hill to watch this proceeding up close. we're told that he's in a room with his family near the senate floor. you are looking live at the floor because right now, at this hour, his fate is uncertain. senate republican leaders and the white house are closely watching two major wild cards this evening. we just heard from the senate majority leader, john thune, who said he is not sure how senators mitch mcconnell and thom tillis are going to vote. now, if both are noes, along with senators lisa murkowski and susan

again, lisa murkowski and susan collins, both of them say that they could not vote for him because of the past delegations and they did not feel like he was prepared to lead such a large department like the pentagon. if democrats and republicans do not come to a time agreement which we are not sure about that just yet, we are waiting to find out, then hegseth would not see a confirmation vote until at least friday night sometime around 9:00 p.m. john ratcliffe just got confirmed this afternoon for cia director. that was also delayed because of the same reason and that is because democrats are john make up the senate right now. forcing republicans to debate for 30 hours really all of trump's nominees. and as schumer told me this morning that includes nominees to have bipartisan support. watch this. >> of the nominees i do have democratic support, bipartisan support there are some like john ratcliffe do you support chris murphy slowing this confirmation process down a? do you think that will happen with other bipartisan a? >> i have some doubts about mr. radcliffe is so for a day or two

there are still a few outliers who have not said where they leaned one way or another, lisa murkowskiut mitch mcconnell, and todd young. if all four of those republicans vote against pete hegseth, he will not be able to be confirmed as defense secretary in the margins, but i think it is a question of will those four ultimate lee vote against him. the other folks are pretty locked in. they said they are going to support him and i do not know they would backtrack on that after reading this affidavit. it is a possibility but it is unlikely and i think folks are going to be asking, did we receive this information too late? host: you had a chance to talk to speaker johnson about president trump's january 6 pardons. what did he tell you? guest: he said he has not had an ability to review it yet. he did not have a specific reaction, sort of deflecting the question to not comment. we will try again today, assuming he has had a moment to review the pardons that president trump signed on the first night of him being in office but the reaction from the house republican conference is mixed. i spo

and you know that we have two republicans, senators lisa murkowski and susan collins, who echoed some of what elizabeth warren were saying in saying that they do not believe that hegseth has the temperament, the qualifications or the expertise for a job like this. set aside those allegations that we've reported on first this week in that affidavit signed by pete hegseth, sister in law, danielle hegseth. they were concerned about his nomination even before that. his drinking, his alcohol abuse, how he mismanaged funds at veterans organizations, how he potentially created toxic workplace environments where he worked. these are all things that senators have been hearing from. there have been intermediaries and whistleblowers that have been reaching out to try and share their experiences with pete hegseth, but just susan collins and lisa murkowski voting with presumably all 47 democrats against him, will not do much to change the outcome of tonight's vote if it remains the same as it was yesterday, 51 to 49. he will get through. the question is, are there any other republicans that will j

even as lisa murkowski, susan collins joined with democrats in raising concerns about his character, about his temperament, about these allegations of misconduct, and whether or not he has the experience to lead such a massive and critical agency. in fact, lisa murkowski, who was walking through the capitol and just our colleague haley talbot, just caught up with her and asked murkowski about her decision to break with her party on this. and she said she evaluated not only what was out there publicly. she said his responses in his hearings. all that, everything that was out there, she said she came to the conclusion that he lacks the strength of character and good judgment, that in all departments we need, especially in the department of defense. but, jake, those concerns really were not shared widely within the senate gop, even as he is expected to be confirmed 5149, which is incredibly narrow for a secretary of defense, a nominee which is typically supported by wide bipartisan majorities in the senate. this time not the case, as donald trump chose to go this route picking someone.

now, if both are noes, along with senators lisa murkowski and susan collins and every democrat hegseth nomination will be defeated on the floor. if only one of them is a no, we could see the vice president brought in to have to break a tie, something that rarely happens for a cabinet nominee. for his part, we heard from president trump earlier today asking reporters for their insight. how is mitch mcconnell going to vote? >> i don't know what's going to happen. you never know in those things. but he's a very, very good man. i hope he makes it. i hope he makes it. uh, i was very surprised that collins and murkowski would do that. and of course, mitch is always a no vote. i guess that's mitch, a no vote. how about mitch? >> one thing is certain. tonight it is going to be close. probably closer potentially, than any vote for defense secretary in modern history. you can see here almost every nominee in the last 50 years has had overwhelming bipartisan support. until tonight. i want to get straight to capitol hill, where cnn's manu raju has been working his sources. manu, obviously, a lot o

lisa. murkowski and. >> susan collins. >> here's the thing, though.licans have. >> 53 seats in the in the senate. right. so you need. >> four republicans. >> to actually drop any of these nominees. that's why jd vance has to stick around, right? if there's a third person, then he would be the tie breaking vote. you would assume he would vote for all of the president's nominees. so i think that you might see this from collins and murkowski. the clip there that you played of joni ernst in the hallway, though, i think was the most important. right, because she was kind of the key senator being on the armed services committee, having having talked about sexual assault in the military being a key issue for her, having expressed skepticism of hegseth, if. she was against, then you could easily see a path. >> to four. >> but she and that she seemed defiant in that hallway interview. so it's kind of hard to see who would join murkowski, collins and maybe mcconnell who who the fourth person is. someone would have to emerge that we haven't heard a peep from at

senator mcconnell, senator susan colins and lisa murkowski. mr.this about pete's confirmation. >> i'm honored to have pete. i think pete's going to be a great secretary of defense, pete hegseth. and we're honored to have him. jaire are you disappoint that had mcconnell voted no? >> i didn't even know that . i didn't know. i heard we won. win sergeant what matters; right? brian: it'll be a little asterisk but at 10:15 this morning he'll be sworn in as next secretary of defense. excited about that and the think the troops will be excited about that. lisa murkowski's vote surprised me, if you're in alaska, freedom matters and the military matters and energy matters. there's no way, donald trump kicked butt in alaska and pete hegseth has been a pro department of defense person and how the world that actually helps that's stunning to maine mitch mcconnell, he's disappointed and i think he did the math and said hey, we know we're still going to win, give him the benefit of the doubt there, a little bit. this does not portend well for some of the other n

lisa murkowski and susan collins and possibly some others. yeah, no, i mean, you would hope you can find for that would at least oppose him. i would assume every democrat would. so, yes. but there be. but there should be a lot more than four who would oppose him and then, like i mentioned, you still have tulsi gabbard and pete hegseth. so just because he is such an agreed just because matt gaetz is so egregious you shouldn't ignore the others and say, okay, you get doubts that scalp or that one that somehow that's a cover for rest of them. and then this whole idea recess appointments which already i believe, you know, like the conservative, you know, national review has said, hey, if you've got 53 senators, you shouldn't even talking about recess appointments, you should be able to nominate. you know, there are enough senators 53 and there are enough good conservatives out there that you should be able to find people that can get 51 or even 50 republicans with the vice president to add the extra vote if you need. so you shouldn't have to be t

two senators that we expected to vote no voted that was susan collins and lisa murkowski both put out lengthy statements on next. susan collins a few moments ago and they both point to a couple different things. they both say they don't believe pete hegseth is prepared to manage such an enormous size department like the pentagon and also pointing to the past allegations of infidelity and they just don't feel comfortable saying he is just not ready for that role. that's the two senators that are out. mitch mcconnell is in as are all the other senators in the conference. roger wicker had told me right before this vote, asked him do you think you still have the 50 that was when lisa murkowski came out she was unknown and he said yes pierce so they walked into the room feeling confident they had with the votes for quite some time and they knew they had them at wood not need j.d. vance to come in. what happens next is a lot of weeding. is a waiting game because democrats will jam it out again and evoke the 30 hour debate role and we will see final confirmation vote on pete hegseth until la

maine's susan collins and alaska's lisa murkowski. >> no surprises there. too bad. >> reporter: meanwhile, cbs news has obtained internal documents showing that the trump administration is in the process of shutting down immigration offices set up by the biden administration in multiple latin american countries. while the department of homeland security is authorizing other federal law enforcement agencies like the dea and atf to assist in immigration enforcement efforts. >> they have deployed active duty u.s. military and national guard troops to the border to assist in repelling the invasion. >> reporter: but in a blow to the new president's controversial plan, a federal judge temporarily blocked trump's order ending birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented migrants and temporary visa holders. the president says he will appeal. meantime, the fbi says it's identifying record related to the assassinations of former president john f. kennedy, robert f. kennedy, and martin luther king jr. it comes after president trump signed an executive order

. >> and lease mu lisa murkowski d on x she will not be supporting pete hegseth.ngthy statement and said that his past behaviors including infidelity on multiple occasions says demonstrates a lack of judgment, she says, that is unbecoming of someone who will lead our armed forces. she talks about how the behaviors for men and women in the uniform, they are held to a higher standard and they would be held accountable for such actions and they deserve leaders, she says, who uphold these same standards. so she is out. murkowski, and keeping a close eye on senators mitch mcconnell, and susan collins, they also could be no votes and that would mean that vice president j.d. vance would have to come down here to capitol hill and break a tie. that is if three republicans wind up voting no on pete hegseth. we can't get to pete hegseth until we get a vote for cia director john ratcliffe and that is going to happen today because democrats are jamming up the senate floor right now, applying this 30-hour debate rule on every single nominee. if that is the case, sandra, we're g

what lisa murkowski ultimately would do. e of a handful of republican senators who have not said how they would vote. and murkowski is a perennial swing vote, particularly on controversial bills and on controversial nominations like pete hegseth. and in a long statement that she just put out on x, she goes after hegseth, raises questions about his character, raises questions about his experiences, fitness for the job, raises questions about allegations of personal misconduct, and statements that he made in the past, criticizing women in combat. now, this is what she said as part of this statement. she said after a thorough evaluation, i must conclude that i cannot in good conscience support his nomination for secretary of defense. i did not make this decision lightly. i take my constitutional responsibility to provide advice and consent with the utmost seriousness. now she goes on to talk a lot more about a number of issues. she talks about these allegations in the past about sexual assault and excessive drinking and the like

split 50—50 and vice presidentjd vance had to break the tiethree republican senators voted no — lisa murkowskillins and former senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. he put out a statement saying: most let's talk to my colleague david willis. it is a considerable moment for the trump administration because it was a controversial pick. trier? was a controversial pick. very controversial _ was a controversial pick. very controversial and _ was a controversial pick. very controversial and these - controversial and these allegations of sexual impropriety and heavy drinking and even financial mismanagement basically undermined author and to undermined author and to undermine the candidacy of pete hegseth. it is 36 years since a nominee put forward by george bush senior, former usa today john tower, was actually rejected for the post of defence secretary under similar allegations to those pete hegseth confronted. womanising, drinking and so one. pete hegseth has been confirmed by the narrowest of margins, mitch mcconnell among others, the former senate republican leader basically came out against h

it comes after two republican senator lisa murkowski and alaska senator susan collins of maine opposed his nomination to lead the pentagon. the former fox news host faces accusations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking, which he has denied. a final confirmation vote is expected tomorrow. also new at noon, a federal judge has temporarily blocked president trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, calling it, quote, blatantly unconstitutional. california has joined several states in a lawsuit against the administration over that order, and spent the first week in office implementing an executive order to carry out his tougher border policies. natalie brand has more from washington, d.c.. >>>>cbs news has learned. the trump administration is considering sending as many as 10,000 u.s. troops to the southern border and potentially using military bases to hold migrants awaiting deportation. the pentagon has already said around 1500 troops have begun to deploy to help secure the us-mexico border. >>>>this was a gross miscarriage of common sense to allow people to come >>>

and clearly it has had an impact on two republican senators, lisa murkowski of the state of alaska and senator susan collins of maine, both voted against advancing hegseth nomination yesterday in a procedural vote. we're going to be watching tonight whether or not any other republicans join them. earlier today, trump suggested that mitch mcconnell always votes no. we should note, of course, mcconnell voted to advance his nomination last night, but we're going to be keeping a close eye on whether or not mcconnell changes his vote when it's the final vote cast on pete hegseth nomination. we are also keeping a close eye on whether or not republicans and democrats get a deal to try to speed this up. right now, we are slated to vote at 9 p.m. on capitol hill. there's always a possibility, if democrats agree to speed up this process, they could move more quickly. but republicans are not willing to give up on advancing other nominees later in the weekend. so there's really a question right now of whether this gets sped up in any way. right now, it just doesn't look like either side is that in

you'll notice in that statement by susan collins and lisa murkowski, the two separate statements that the allegations, they talked about how nervous they were to have somebody with pete hegseth, lack of qualifications, lack of lack of expertise in a position like this. i should tell you just some color. yesterday we saw murkowski and tillis huddling in a room to talk about this. so certainly he is still somebody to watch. i will also tell you, of course, the pressure from the other side of pennsylvania avenue has been raining down on these republican senators, even senator susan, senators collins and murkowski have been feeling the heat since they came out publicly yesterday. i bet that's having a lot to do in terms of calculations for these other senators, including mitch mcconnell, by the way, to vote yes or no tonight. >> and, jeff, it's really extraordinary because if you behaved as he has, as has been acknowledged, certainly by many people, he's denied the public, some of the public alcoholism that's been described by colleagues. but if you behave that way as an enlisted man, you

lisa. murkowski and susan collins voted. >> and voted no. but democrat. from pennsylvania john. >> fetterman voted yes. this is a guy. >> who just a. >> few months ago, republicans after his stroke, said he was unfit. to serve. >> yeah, well, he's already gone down to mar-a-lago to talk about finding ways to work with president trump. he's made clear that he is the, you know, the outlier in this democratic caucus at this point and the one that chuck schumer will probably have to worry about. and he's, you know, he's an unpredictable fellow. he obviously doesn't. he stands out in this caucus on a number of issues, whether it be on israel, whether it be even just the way he comports and dresses himself and so forth. but, you. >> know. >> it's, you know, haegstad looks like he's going to go through it is conceivable, i suppose, that some a couple republican more, you know, say, okay, i voted to advance past filibuster, but i don't really want to vote for him. but there's no sign that that's what's going to happen. and so you're going to have at the head of t

two republicans did vote no senator lisa murkowski and susan collins. but unless more republicans flip from yes to no tomorrow, hegseth appears to be on track to get confirmed. meanwhile, house republicans are trying to figure out how to pay for trump's agenda, particularly the tax cuts and the immigration crackdown. the new york times reports they are considering things like slashing medicaid, ending the home mortgage deduction, and even raising taxes on people who can go to the gym for free at work. there can't be that many people that you can get that much money out of for that one. but one of trump's executive orders has already hit a great big roadblock. today, a federal judge temporarily blocked his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship. we'll have much more on that story with joyce vance later on, but let's first get a whole lot smarter. with the help of our lead off panel tonight. peter baker is here, chief white house correspondent for the new york times. carol leonnig joins us, pulitzer prize winning investigative reporter with the washin

senator lisa murkowski and senator susan collins, and they could only afford to lose three at most. and when mitch mcconnell went to the floor and said thumbs down, that meant that they needed jd vance ultimately to break the tie. now that pete hegseth is in there by the narrowest of margins, he takes on a pentagon with enormous challenges ahead and concerns among democrats and some republicans that he is not fit for the job, that his allegations of misconduct raise questions about his character. and someone who is a former fox news host and military veteran simply is out of his depth in running the pentagon. that's what his critics say. his supporters say that he is the exact person to come in and reform a military in badly need of reform. that's what donald trump has said. that's why he picked him. and that's why republican senators ultimately fell in line and pushed him through. after this battle that raged on for the senate for some time, putting donald trump's cabinet in place slowly but surely, one cabinet pick after another as big fights loom on some of the other ones waiting

conviction has left the table other than if your name is lisa murkowski and susan collins. >> yeah, i want to play you, actually, what some of the. >> republican senators you're asking. >> actually, let me just ask to. ashley, i want to play with some of what republican senators told manu raju today. >> he said. >> he. >> wouldn't drink at all. >> if this comes with that, i'm fine with it. but it hasn't been proven in any that he was drinking while he was fox for ten years, maybe at a party or something like that. uh, you name me, you probably can't name a handful of your friends that hasn't drank at a party or whatever. >> it may be. >> just excessive drinking, not just. >> yeah, well, i agree with that. and, well, at the end of the day, what's his sex drinking for? for anybody. uh, to me, i. 1 or 2 is way too much for me. so let's just look at the qualifications and the things that that should be looked at here. and again, if he can't do the job, he'll be gone anyway. and that's, that's what president trump's proven that mr. hegseth. >> has said he made mistakes in the past. and i d

i think you've got to pay attention to lisa murkowski, susan collins, and then some of the senate armed services committee members. i think tammy duckworth was masterful in just questioning his basic knowledge of the job that he was going to walk into. that is where people are going to find pause. i think oftentimes these allegations feel like he said, she said cases to many people who are in the position of trying to decide, and i think his credentials for the job is going to be the most important. >> so moving forward, beyond pete hegseth, donald trump is doing a lot. the president is doing a lot and flooding the zone every day in a way that makes it hard to cover. in a way, it's an effective political strategy. you do so much. how can people pick and choose what they focus on? and i will say, i want you to calibrate here whether or not he's got the right political combination of looking forward and looking backwards, because there's a lot that's backwards looking. pardoning january 6th people is backwards looking. this executive order. i'm not going to read the whole thing here, but

two republican senators, lisa murkowski and susan collins, joined with democrats in trying to block this nomination. but all this comes as wolf is there have been questions about hegseth past, questions about allegations of excessive drinking, which he has denied. i put those questions to republican senators themselves who are supporting hegseth and how they view that as he is on his way to confirmation he wouldn't drink at all. >> if he's comfortable. >> with it. >> i'm fine. >> with it, but it hasn't been proven that he was drinking while he was fox for ten years, maybe at a party or something like that. uh, you name me, you probably can't name a handful of your friends that hasn't drank at a party or whatever. >> it may be. >> just excessive drinking. >> not just. yeah, well, i agree with that. and, well, at the end of the day, what's excessive drinking for? for anybody? uh, to me, i 1 or 2 is way too much for me. so let's just look at the qualifications and the things that that should be looked at here. and again, if he can't do the job, he'll be gone anyway. and that's, that's what

i also spoke with senators lisa murkowski and susan collins this morning, who raised concerns with me about trump's decision to do this. but i have to say, most of the republican senators i talked to didn't even know that this had happened until i started asking them questions about it this morning, because just of how late at night trump made these moves. and then, of course, there were some republican senators who just rubber stamped what trump did because they are looking to, you know, be behind him no matter what trump decides to do. i want to also play you what the top democrat in the senate, chuck grassley, had to say about this. >> yesterday in the dark of night, president trump fired at least 12 independent inspector generals at important federal agencies across the administration. this is a chilling purge, and it's a preview of the lawless approach donald trump and his administration are taking far too often as he's becoming president. >> that was senator chuck schumer, the top democrat in the senate. and what's clear from reactions today is there's going to be a lot more fol

that's senator lisa murkowski of alaska, senator susan collins of maine. and, you know, they both issued really lengthy statements explaining their votes. both of them cited questions about whether or not hegseth had really had a change of heart about the fact that he had previously said he did not believe that women in the military believed in combat roles. you also heard from senator murkowski. she had questi its massive scope and the fact she said she really doubted that he had the professional experience to be ready for this job. kate. >> lauren, thank you so much to start us off this hour. john. >> all right. we are standing by to see the president leave the white house for the first trip of his new term. the president is visiting disaster zones in north carolina and california. and we woke up to the news that the president actually invited california senator adam schiff to tour the california wildfire destruction with him. now, you will remember, trump has called the senator the enemy within. among other things, schiff's office politely declined the

we already know two gop senators, lisa murkowski and susan collins, do plan to vote no. two more republican no votes would sink his nomination. joining us now, democratic senator of virginia, tim kaine, a member of the armed services committee. always good to see you, senator. what do you hear? are there two more republicans who you think will vote no on pete hegseth? >> chris. right now, the. >> odds are no. >> but it's not. >> a complete no. there is still a chance. because it is the case that sometimes members vote to forward nominations to the floor for a final passage vote, but then choose to vote against final passage on the theory that a presidential nominee should get a floor vote. you're right that senators collins and murkowski were no votes. and senator murkowski laid out in a way that was as clear as any democrat could lay out why this would be a disastrous nomination. i hope that my republican colleagues will realize there are strongly republican, pro-trump folks with military expertise who could do this job, but who don't have the serious character deficits

lisa. >> murkowski because. >> they voted against him in committee. but the former republican leader, mitch mcconnell, voted against. >> him, too. >> now, ahead of her no vote on pete hegseth confirmation, senator susan collins. >> said this. >> i ended up. having a number of concerns they had. >> to do. >> with his lack of experience in managing. an organization as large and as complex as the pentagon, given that he had had a decidedly mixed record in managing two very small, nonprofit veterans organizations where there were allegations of wasted money and mismanagement, in addition, we're facing a world right now where the threats have arguably not been this high since world war two, and i felt that we needed an individual. who not only had the experience and qualifications, but also the perspective to run that that giant department in the face of these global threats. he seemed very. eager to do a wholesale firing of generals and admirals and other high ranking officers at a time when we need their expertise and dedication. so in the end, to me, it

two republicans, lisa murkowski, susan collins, expected to vote no. we don't yet know about senators mitch mcconnell and thom tillis. thom tillis did speak to manu raju earlier today and indicated if he found something new that might have impact his vote, but it sounded like he was heading toward a confirming vote. but again, we don't know for sure. the news continues right here on cnn. >> outfront next. breaking news. >> hegseth in danger. less than two hours before. >> his confirmation vote. >> republicans, unsure. >> if trump's pick for. >> defense secretary has the votes. >> could his nomination actually go. >> down tonight? also, breaking donald trump on the ground in california face to face with the very governor he ridicules and name calls regularly. will he withhold aid to the state because of petty politics? plus, trump cozies up to kim jong un again, calling him smart and predicting another summit soon. what will kim want in return? let's go out front. good evening everyone. i'm kate bolduan in for erin burnett outfront tonight we are follow

we expected senator susan collins and lisa murkowski because they voted against him in committee. but the former republican leader, mitch mcconnell, voted against him, too. now, ahead of her no vote on pete hegseth confirmation, senator susan collins said this. >> i ended up having a number of concerns they had to do with his lack of experience in managing an organization as large and as complex as the pentagon, given that he had had a decidedly mixed record in managing two very small, nonprofit veterans organizations where there were allegations of wasted money and mismanagement, in addition, we're facing a world right now where the threats have arguably not been this high since world war two. and i felt that we needed an individual who not only had the experience and qualifications, but also the perspective to run that that giant department in the face of these global threats. he seemed very eager to do a wholesale firing of generals and admirals and other high ranking officers at a time when we need their expertise and dedication. so in the end, to me, it was the right decision

. >> reporter: senator lisa murkowski is among the republicans criticizing the pardons. she says she fears what message this is sending to the men and women who protected the lawmakers. form d.c. police officer, michael fanone went to court yesterday to seek protective orders against five men who pleaded guilty to assaulting him. he says he feels betrayed by his country. >>> president trump continuing his broad actions on immigration. the department of homeland security announcing the end to the policy that restricted i.c.e. agents' ability to arrest undocumented immigrants at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and houses of worship. but backlash to his sweeping proposal is growing. the episcopal bishop of washington making a direct appeal to the president during a prayer service yesterday. >> i ask you to have mercy, mr. president, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution. our god teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger. >> at least 24 b

. >> not every gop lawmaker is on board with this republican senators lisa murkowski and susan collins both voted against his nomination or said they would if every democrat remains opposed to this take, seth can only lose 3 republican votes tonight and still be confirmed. we'll keep you posted there. weather time as we get a live look on this friday night at the golden gate bridge. chief meteorologist lawrence karnow has the getaway forecast sort of going? just about anywhere you want, right? it's been so easy to travel around much of the state with the exceptions of the fires in southern california. >> we haven't had much of weather issues around the state, but now things are about to change headed out there right now. the clouds begin to move in today, looking out toward the airport so far, so good. no delays being reported sfo. oakland or san jose are all looking good there. how about the monterey bay starting a little chilly in spots to the frost advisories to the east there. but by the temperatures gonna be a lot cooler. a high of about 52 degrees. partly cloudy in santa cruz. a

they've already lost two senators, lisa murkowski and susan collins. overnight, cnn uncovered new information about a $50,000 payment. hegseth made. it was part of a confidentiality agreement to a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her. hegseth, though, has repeatedly denied that allegation. cnn's manu raju has the story for us. >> pete hegseth well on his way to becoming the next secretary of defense after a weeks long battle in the aftermath of donald trump naming him shortly after the election to be his next secretary of defense, that blindsided republicans and democrats alike. pete hegseth, a former fox news host, a military veteran, someone not known. someone who doesn't simply does not have the experience to manage an organization like this. catapulting to this hugely important position. republicans fell in line. they said that he is the right person with the right mindset to shake up the defense department. and in line with donald trump, they gave deference to the president's decision for this critical national security position. but democr

two we expected senator susan collins and lisa murkowski because they voted against him in committee. but the former republican leader, mitch mcconnell, voted against him, too. now, ahead of her no vote on pete hegseth confirmation, senator susan collins said this. >> i ended up having a number of concerns they had to do with his lack of experience in managing an organization as large and as complex as the pentagon, given that he had had a decidedly mixed record in managing two very small, nonprofit veterans organizations where there were allegations of wasted money and mismanagement, in addition, we're facing a world right now where the threats have arguably not been this high since world war two, and i felt that we needed an individual who not only had the experience and qualifications, but also the perspective to run that that giant department in the face of these global threats. he seemed very eager to do a wholesale firing of generals and admirals and other high ranking officers at a time when we need their expertise and dedication. so in the end, to me, it was the right decision

. >> reporter: republican lisa murkowski tonight rebuking the decision to pardon violent offenders. >> you just blanket pardon all of them without consequence? i think that that sounds -- sends a horrible message to our law enforcement officers. >> reporter: spotted inside the capitol today, stewart rhodes, head of the far right extremist group the oath keepers, who was just released after serving less than two years of an 18-year sentence for directing his members during the riot. the federal judge at rhodes's 2023 sentencing warning "the moment you are released, whenever that may, you'll be ready to take up arms against your government." retired capitol police sergeant aquilino gonell was one of the officers injured, telling nbc news "it's a betrayal. they were doing the fighting on his behalf. that's the only reason he pardoned them." president trump telling us he strongly backs police. >> i am the friend of police more than any president that's ever been in this office. >> reporter: we pressed him yesterday. >> vice president j.d. vance, he said if -- this is a week ago. he said,