can think of a few more questions to ask pete hegseth to fact check that i do want to bring in our manu raju who we just heard there in the hallway trying to get a question in to pete hegseth manu. >> this is a high stakes appearance for hegseth and he's really trying to get out there in front of the cameras yeah that's right. >> and look, this is now a public effort beyond just the private, behind the scenes push to try to get republicans in line. there are a lot of republicans who do have concerns about all the reports of misconduct allegations that have come out over the last several weeks, and there are more than three. remember, he can only lose to four, to lose three. republican senators in the new senate in order to get the job and be confirmed as the next secretary of defense. there are more than three republicans who have concerns whether they actually vote no. that's another question, but there are at least more than have concerns. so he has some work to do. and as you can hear here, this is all part of this new effort to try to go out publicly contend that he these allegations are

let's get straight to cnn chief congressional correspondent manu raju up on capitol hill. , i have to think this is sending some shockwaves up there on the hill. >> yeah, no question about it. and this, of course, comes despite the opposition from the speaker of the house, mike johnson, who said that this report should not be released because gaetz is now a former member of congress. remember when donald trump named him as the attorney general, his initial attorney general? gaetz then abruptly resigned from congress. many suspected he did so because he wanted to not see this report become public. but this has now changed. at the time, a lot of the members and republicans on the house ethics committee voted to not release this report that deadlocked five five in that evenly divided panel. but our new reporting suggests that there's been a shift there, suggests at least some republicans are now siding with democrats. at the time, some republicans indicated the report was not quite finalized yet. they then they then met in december earlier this month to try to figure out what

we were having some difficulty hearing from manu raju in the bowels of capitol hill. i believe we have the signal now. and, manu, we were asking you about speaker mike johnson, who was talking to reporters, seemingly outlining his vision for what this deal to avert a government shutdown is going to look like. he's confident. he's saying we're not going to have a shutdown. >> yeah, he is confident. he didn't lay out the specifics. but i can tell you what the specifics are here. based on what i'm hearing from a number of members, there were essentially what they're talking about is to move a stopgap measure. let me ask this, congressman. congressman. we're live on air right now. so it sounds like to me, based on what i'm talking to other members, is that they're talking about these three different bills, the stopgap measure to keep the government funded until mid-march. and also the about $100 billion or so of disaster relief and $10 billion in aid to farmers, all in one bill to come up tonight. is that what's going to happen? >> well, the 10 billion to farmers, 83% of t

cnn's manu raju joins us at the capitol. so i wonder what you're hearing from lawmakers, particularly since steve scalise is now moving away from an option that was at least out there to try to get this passed on a simple majority. >> yeah. look, i, in fact, the speaker of the house just addressed reporters moments ago, and i asked him what is the next plan? and he really didn't have any specifics. he said they were going to regroup. they were going to try to figure out what the next steps were. and he attacked democrats, even though there were republicans also who voted against this plan on the house floor. despite the push from donald trump. now, one big reason why there were republicans who voted and defied donald trump was his demand. trump's demand to suspend the national debt limit for two years. remember, this is something that congress has to typically deal with every so often, but it is expected to be dealt with next year. but donald trump recognized that this will be a complication next year for his agenda. and now

but let's go back to capitol hill and let's talk to cnn's manu raju and lauren fox. manu, do republicans have the votes to avoid a government shutdown republican leadership is confident, jake, that they will have the votes to avert a government shutdown after a frantic several days of negotiating behind closed doors prompted by donald trump's intervention in the 11th hour, making demands and scuttling a separate bipartisan deal to try to avoid a government shutdown, trump demanding late that there should be additions to this proposal, namely, the very complicated issue of raising the national debt limit, something that doesn't have to be dealt with until next year, but one that he wants done now so he doesn't have to worry about it when he's president. >> however, because he does not have the votes in the house that failed yesterday, his efforts to try to do just that raise the national debt limit. now, republican leaders have agreed to push that aside into next year. now they're trying to move on a separate course, extend government funding past midnight tonight unti

let's go to cnn's manu raju on capitol hill. nu, what are you hearing from members about this plan c? is there a deal that will pass before midnight? or are we going to have a federal government shutdown? >> well, jake, after days of frantic negotiations, including all day long to try to appease donald trump's late demands and try to win over enough democrats to get it out of the narrowly divided congress, it appears that they are moving forward and votes in the house for this last ditch effort to stave off a government shutdown at midnight tonight. just moments ago, the house announced that it does plan to have votes on this new approach at 5 p.m. eastern tonight. now, this new approach would include a three month extension of current government funding that would lead it to about mid march until this round of funding would expire. they had to pass another funding bill in the first 100 days of donald trump's term. also would have about $100 billion in disaster relief for communities hit hard by natural disasters. in addition $10

cnn's manu raju is live on capitol hill. manu, tell us where talks stand right now. things have been so fluid yeah. >> no question about it. all day long. the speaker of the house has been trying to resurrect a plan that was shelved, that was defeated by 38 members of his own party who rebelled and revolted against donald trump's efforts to try to get this plan b, as you described, done last night. democrats to opposing that plan. so what is plan c? that's what they've been negotiating all morning long. and what they've settled on is this try to separate this package to keep the government open into several smaller bills, and try to move those three different bills individually. among those bills would be a three month extension of government funding, a $100 billion package to deal with natural disaster relief, things that parts of the country that have been hit hard by hurricanes and the like. and $10 billion in aid to farmers that had all initially been part of a larger package. of course, donald trump scuttled that package in the 11th hour earlier this week when h

the question is, will you see more manu raju out front on capitol hill kristen holmes is in west palm beach and the k files andrew kaczynski is here with me in new york. i want to begin with you, manu out front on capitol hill. of course, as i said sometimes when you get one domino, it's just whether it pushes over and then all of a sudden something in jeopardy becomes dead. what are you learning from republican senators tonight? >> yeah, republicans are indicating that hegseth has an uphill battle for confirmation. there are a number of republican senators who are uncertain. and remember, in order to get confirmed, assuming all democrats will vote against him in the senate pete hegseth cannot lose more than three republican votes on any party line vote. and right now, there are more than three republican senators who have concerns pete hegseth now facing a tough road to become the next secretary of defense. >> some of these articles are very disturbing the former fox news host and military veteran has tried to weather a series of damaging stories about his personal conduct including

let's get straight to cnn's manu raju on capitol hill. manu, what are you hearing from house republicans? >> yeah, a conservative revolt has essentially torpedoed mike johnson's plans and delicately negotiate a compromise between the speaker of the house and congressional leaders to keep the government open until mid-march. this negotiation had been going on for months. it was unveiled late last night in an effort to avoid a government shutdown that would occur after 11:59 p.m. on friday night. but because of a number of provisions in this bill, republicans, particularly on the right conservative members, are furious at some of the deals that were cut with democrats in order to get this across the finish line. they're also concerned about the lack of time they had to review it. now, all day long, donald trump has said very little. he's been silent about this bill amid this growing concern on the right, people like elon musk have come out in opposition to this plan. and just moments ago, donald trump said he too was opposed to the plan. and

and he knows that cnn's manu raju manu raju joins us live from capitol hill. >> manu, let's kind of cut through things right now. we know the meetings. there's clearly been a strategic shift in terms of trying to fight back that we've seen today. what's going on behind the scenes? is this on the brink or is it possible to turn it around? >> it still remains to be seen because there are a lot of republican senators who simply are holding their cards close to their vest. their are concerned about these allegations and uncertain about whether pete hegseth could actually do the job as secretary of defense and want to hear him discuss in length and in public about these allegations of misconduct, the sexual assault allegation, which he denies, as well as what happened at a time when he ran that veterans group several years ago, in which the new yorker reported about misconduct, personal misconduct, drunkenness on the job and the like. so all the pete hegseth behind the scenes has been denying those allegations and that has alleviated some concerns. but some members still, like shelley moore

he's not going quietly, telling our manu raju why the democratic party's brand became, quote, toxic and how it can recover from a crushing defeat. i'm phil mattingly. let's go behind the headlines and inside politics we begin with the breaking news. the house ethics committee has released its final report into matt gaetz, the former florida congressman and president elect trump's first pick for attorney general. the committee says it found evidence that gaetz paid a 17 year old girl for sex and violated multiple florida state laws. the panel also found evidence he used cocaine and ecstasy on multiple occasions while serving as a member of congress. cnn's katelyn polantz has been digging through this report now that it's public. caitlin, what are you finding? >> fill that section about matt gaetz and sex with the underage girl that captures a lot of what the committee was looking into here. just some of the facts that they were able to find, not only through documented evidence, but also interviews with more than half a dozen witnesses, including the victim, the girl or the woman who was

inside politics sunday with manu raju. up next honeymoon phase donald trump taking a victory lap. >> but with controversial cabinet picks and a messy pressure campaign. >> is it effective? no. >> how long will it last? >> plus, uncertain path. democrats look to find their footing in trump's washington fight tooth and nail. >> i think you fight and the things we should fight or cut deals, democrats or other people can freak out over anyone that was nominated. >> i am not that guy who will lead them back to power. >> we'll have new reporting about kamala harris's plans, and i'll talk to a candidate who wants to run the dnc and a house divided, a gop split over a bill protecting kids on social media. speaker johnson saying no. >> i commend all my colleagues, but we want to get it right. >> as elon musk and senate allies rally for it, this needs to be done. who holds the power in trump's gop? inside politics the best reporting from inside the corridors of power starts now. good morning and welcome to inside politics sunday. i'

follow me on instagram at manu raju.if you ever miss an episode, just catch up wherever you get your podcasts. please search for inside politics. up next, the union with jake tapper and dana bash, senators bill hagerty, chris plus congressman tim burchett will join dan alive. thanks again for sharing your sunday morning with us. we'll see you next time shutdown averted. >> but what does the drama in congress show about trump's return to power? close ally senator bill hagerty joins dana. plus, president biden's hands off approach with democratic senator chris state of the union. coming up next, transform your website into an immersive 3-d experience with infinite reality. you can tap the power of the spatial and social web to unlock valuable data and take your brand to the next level. it's time for better shopping. bolder entertainment, and bigger sports it's time to up your web game. infinite reality i'm kind of needs to be more squiggly perfect. >> so now, do you have a driver's license? >> oh, what did you get us with

i'm manu raju with 36 days until he takes the oath of office. donald trump spent part of the weekend with the top republican leaders in congress and making a public show of support for one of his most embattled cabinet picks. pete hegseth. yesterday, trump took in the annual army-navy football game with hegseth, along with speaker mike johnson and the incoming senate majority leader john thune. the goal for trump is simple try to ride out this honeymoon period as long as possible. judging by his social media, it's clear he knows a swell of good luck he's enjoying. but even with single party rules soon coming to washington, it will undoubtedly be rocky. the only question is when. and trump, for his part, continued to this weekend to select his most loyal allies to serve in roles in his administration. yesterday, selecting a controversial former congressman, devin nunes, to serve as an intelligence advisor and appointing his former acting director of national intelligence, ric grenell, to a presidential envoy position. it's all part of this breakn

manu raju with another busy day up on capitol hill steve contorno, thank you so much. really appreciate both of you this morning. another close story that we're closely following right now. the supreme court is hearing arguments on gender affirming care for minors. it is a landmark case at the high court. we're going to take you there next live after the break. stay with us cnn heroes on all star tribune sunday at eight on cnn still congested? >> nope. uh oh. >> new mucinex 2 in 1. saline nasal spray. >> spray goodbye. >> new mucinex 2 in 1. saline nasal spray with a gentle mist and innovative power jet spray. goodbye to congestion. its comeback season. >> this is the carry on closet. the suitcase with a one of a kind closet system that keeps you organized anywhere. pack all you need for up to ten days and travel without ever unpacking the comfort of home on the go. unpack in seconds at solgaard co hi, i'm greg, i live in bloomington, illinois. >> i'm not an actor, i'm just a regular person after working 25 years in the automotive industry, i retired eight years ago. i

i'm pamela brown in for manu raju. we have a lot to get to this morning. but i want to start

let's take you now live to capitol hill with cnn's manu raju. manu, let's start with pete hegseth and this meeting with senator murkowski today. what are you hearing about that? >> yeah, that's significant because murkowski is a perennial swing vote in the senate gop. she is someone who has been very careful on her words and talking about hacks that i've asked her about all these allegations of misconduct, sexual assault allegations, excessive drinking allegations, all of which that hexa denies but undoubtedly will come up in this meeting this afternoon. now, this all comes as texas is undoubtedly stabilized things for his own prospects in getting the job among republicans. the joni ernst. you heard that meeting there. she came out of that meeting for the second time they met, saying that she would be supportive of the process. she sounded much more positive. there's a big pressure campaign from trump allies and people like joni ernst, who have been a little wobbly about backing him. and then last week, senator lindsey graham, someone who's very

and i want to go live out to cnn's manu raju. manu, what are you hearing from senators? it looks like you were just talking to senator tillis there a few moments ago. i was talking to chairman reed just a couple of seconds ago. as you as you heard. and he said that seth's nomination is very much up in the air, despite what you're hearing from trump world, that they feel confident that seth will get through. what are you hearing? >> yeah, i think republicans are sounding more optimistic about really all of trump's nominees at the moment. this is, of course, a long and arduous process. the vetting process, things, of course, come up. confirmation hearings can can turn things sideways for any given nominee. but for pete hegseth in particular, things seem to be looking a little bit brighter, particularly compared to last week, given the fact that senator joni ernst is someone, of course, who has been so pointedly refused to say how she would come down on this nomination, she clearly had some concerns. but those concerns have been alleviated. there's been a massive pressure c

joining us now from capitol hill, cnn's manu raju. manu, i mean, they were right up against the precipice here, but they seem to have saved themselves. what have you been hearing from lawmakers about how this played out? >> yeah, this was a messy period of legislating and perhaps a fitting end to a chaotic 118th congress because of donald trump's late demands here and blowing up that bipartisan compromise that you discussed and making that late demand to raise the national debt limit. democrats have wanted to not want to give in to that, because they believe that was a key point of leverage to fight against the trump agenda next time. even though donald trump tried to pressure republicans to fall in line, really bullying some of them, calling them out by name and the case of congressman chip roy of texas and threatening primary challenges against others who dare to defy him on the issue of the debt limit. ultimately, 38 republicans yesterday did defy him. he did not have the support to do that, which is why he had to take a defeat here

cnn's manu raju has more now from capitol hill. >> larie pidgeon pete hegseth now facing a tough road to become the next secretary of defense some of these articles are very disturbing. the former fox news host and military veteran has tried to weather a series of damaging stories about his personal conduct, including allegations of sexual assault. are you concerned? >> of course it's concerning, but i look forward to visiting with pete about it and seeing i'm interested in who pete hegseth is today and who he is going forward. >> we'll be asking questions but look, the president always gets the benefit of the doubt on his nominees. >> but there's little margin for error since just four gop defections could derail the nomination. with all democrats in the 5347 gop senate likely to oppose him. >> this nomination is doomed. >> several gop senators are undecided, including joni ernst, a survivor of sexual assault who has spoken out against such crimes in the military and told cnn today she planned to have a frank and thorough conversation with hegseth later this week all amid key demands

manu raju up on capitol hill. thanks very much, manu. coming up. there's breaking news in the investigation into the manhattan ceo killing as we await an update from state and local officials, we'll be right back this holiday season find the perfect gift at cnn underscored from the latest fashion to expert approved tech to the best beauty finds. >> discover it all at underscore. com some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking allstate first. >> like, you know, to check the weather first before sailing. >> it's going to get nasty later yep. hey, perfect day for sailing, huh have fun on ran i'll go tell the coast guard. >> yep. >> yeah. >> checking first is smart, so check allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. >> you're in good hands with allstate. >> many remedies you take for chest congestion only mask the symptoms. >> you're gonna love this property. >> try this. mucinex 12 hour treats. the mucus that causes chest congestion for all day relief mucinex in mucus out. treat the cause. >> hey who's be

inside politics with manu raju is next. we leave you of these pictures of families, children going into the presidential palace. there are reports of looting, of the national banks there. there is a curfew that starts in just five minutes and goes through the next 13 hours. >> a momentous day in syria as assad's regime has collapsed. stay with cnn for today. >> a world in crisis from syrian rebel advances to the fall of the french government and south korea's short lived martial law. fareed takes a look at what's happening around the globe. fareed zakaria gps this morning. >> spend less time making cocktails and more time making memories. introducing bartesian premium cocktails at the touch of a button get our best holiday deal now only at bartesian. >> com slash drinks you've got a pepto predicament ace. >> you overdid it on the loaded fries. >> undo it with pepto. >> fast. melt when you have nausea, heartburn indigestion, upset stomach diarrhea when you overdo it, undo it with pepto bismol within two two and a half weeks,

cnn's manu raju has more. >> reporter robert f kennedy jr. making the rounds on capitol hill for a second day meeting with republican senators and trying to get them in line. one of the big things he has been trying to do is try to reassure some who are concerned about his views on vaccines. he is, according to republican senators, not reiterating what he has said before, to repeat that debunked theory that vaccine use leads to childhood autism. there have been science, of course, does not making that case. he has said that before, but in these meetings he has said that he is concerned about rising rates of autism, says he wants to get to the bottom of that. and he's also indicated he wants to have a top to bottom review of vaccines altogether. now, in a good sign for him here, the senate republican leader, incoming senate republican leader john thune told our colleague ted barrett that indeed, he could support him for the job. at least he suggested that he could because he said he was. he viewed his answers about vaccines in a very positive

our chief congressional correspondent, manu raju, is up on capitol hill with details. manu. so what is happening right now? >> yeah. frantic negotiations all day long trying to meet donald trump's 11th hour demands that led to the collapse of a bipartisan deal to avert a government shutdown. a 1500 page bill was unveiled just a couple of days ago as a result of bipartisan negotiations between the speaker of the house, mike johnson, as well as other congressional leaders. with the support of the white house, looked like it was on the glide path to become enacted into law until donald trump, after elon musk came out to oppose it, came out and said he too was opposed and also inserted some 11th hour demands that one critical demand to deal with the national debt limit. of course, if the debt limit is breached, that would lead to the first ever debt default in u.s. history, but that was not expected to be dealt with until the middle of next year sometime. but donald trump came in late and said that must be dealt with now to take out of his plate so he doesn't have to deal with i

let's start with manu raju and lauren fox. manu, republicans say they have a deal. but the question is, do they have the votes? >> it's an open question. and actually, jake, it seems a bit uncertain that they will actually get this over the finish line as not only are democrats sounding very skeptical, if not downright opposed to this plan, but they're also republicans who don't like this as well, including the idea of suspending the national debt limit for two years. that is what's under this plan. it came as a result of donald trump. remember, republicans for many years, including in this congress, fought tooth and nail for any extension of the debt limit. they wanted cuts to come alongside it. ultimately, they actually did cut a plan that took months to negotiate last year to raise the national debt limit, actually make it until january of next year, january of 2025, when the debt limit would be breached. that's what caused donald trump to raise alarm bells just yesterday, demanding that any 11th hour, any deal to avoid a government shutdown needs to include some

cnn's chief congressional correspondent manu raju has details for us. manu, it appears rfk jr.as evolved abortion views were discussed. >> yeah, that's been a topic of a number of meetings with republican senators. remember rfk jr., who used to be a democrat and actually espoused abortion rights views really polar opposite. a lot of these republican senators who are strongly anti-abortion. but what he's been saying in these closed door meetings is that he would be in line with donald trump's views on abortion if he's confirmed to the post. >> we talked about abortion and the big, big thing about abortion is he's telling everybody, he said, listen, whatever president trump, i'm i'm going to back him 100%. >> one of the other big questions, too, wolf, is the issue of vaccines. of course, rfk jr.. has talked about that debunked theory in the past about linking autism to the use of vaccines in childhood in these closed door meetings, i'm told by republican senators, he's not saying that explicitly, but he says he wants to get to the bottom of the increase autism rate. and he says t

cnn chief congressional correspondent manu raju joins us live. and, manu, you and your colleagues broke this story. so a reversal here now that matt gaetz is out of congress. and now gaetz is responding to this decision. >> yeah, it is a significant reversal. remember at the time, matt gaetz, that the committee voted to shelve this report? gaetz, of course, was the donald trump's pick to be attorney general and the speaker of the house and others have said, you know, he is a former member of congress, and we should not release reports for former members of congress. that was the initial decision. one big reason why they decided to hold off. but things have changed over the past month. matt gaetz, of course, withdrew from consideration of this from this position amid these allegations and concerns from senate republicans about what may ultimately come out. some republican senators want to see this. it was clear that he did not have the votes. and also the report had not been finalized yet. they had met behind closed doors earlier this month after g

cnn's manu raju is live on capitol hill. , how is senator mcconnell doing well, by accounts of his colleagues, he is fine. >> this came after a republican lunch. he was walking out of that lunch. he tripped and he fell. and according to his office, they said that he sustained a minor cut to the face and sprained his wrist. he has been cleared to resume his schedule. this was right before his weekly press conference. we expected him to come out. he did not come out. i asked the senate incoming senate majority leader about what he witnessed. he simply said that mcconnell was fine and that he urged us to ask his staff for a statement. we have not heard from mcconnell himself. we do expect to see him to go and vote in a matter of minutes here. this comes in the aftermath of a number of incidents, including last year when he tripped and he fell. he hit his head, he suffered a concussion, broke some ribs and the like, and a couple of freezing episodes as well. that raised some questions about his health. at the time, his office sai

let's go to cnn chief congressional correspondent manu raju on capitol hill. manu, how soon will we be able to see this report? >> it could happen within days. jake. the agreement from according to sources telling us that they the agreement that was reached by the committee was to essentially release it on the final after the final day of votes in this congressional year, the final day of votes could be tonight, it could be tomorrow, it could be friday. and then this congress ends on january 3rd at 11:59 a.m. so really, any time between the final day of votes and then when this congress ends. now, the reason why this has changed is in part because the ethics committee, when they voted initially back in november, that report wasn't totally finished yet. there were still some changes that were being made. some members at the time had cited the fact that this investigative report was still ongoing as one reason why they don't think they didn't think it should be out publicly. and then afterwards, of course, at that point, he was still donald trump's pick to be att

manu raju is up on capitol hill. manu, update our viewers on the very latest yeah, this is on the verge of passing, wolf. >> averting a scare at the last minute. a government shutdown just on the horizon in a matter of hours. but now the house is poised to pass this bill well over the threshold. the two thirds majority needed to pass this bill that would keep the government open up until mid-march. right now, there's a 366 to 34 vote. that's well over the 290 votes that would be needed. assuming all members are here and present so that. and right now it looks like more it looks like it's broken down. a lot of republicans in favor of it. wolf, 170 republicans voting in the affirmative. just 34 voting against it. and the democrats more democrats have supported this. in fact, 196 democrats. there is not a single democratic no vote. now, this came all after a scare over the last several days. and then the aftermath of donald trump intervening late and scuttling a separate bipartisan deal that had been reached. it appeared

i want to bring in our chief congressional correspondent manu raju is joining us live from capitol hill. manu, elon musk and vivek ramaswamy, they both tapped, both tapped by trump for major positions. they were up on capitol hill where you are today pushing for spending cuts. how did that go? yeah, this is the beginning of a process, wolf. >> in fact they steered clear in a lot of ways from getting into some of the nitty gritty details, some things that they'll actually be important for members on capitol hill. they leave elon musk, for one, met with the incoming republican chairwoman of the senate appropriations committee, which controls the purse strings of most federal spending. and they didn't get into the details of the kind of cuts that elon musk and vivek ramaswamy are looking at. they later met with with members on the house side of the capitol and the senate side. so this is the beginning of a process, wolf. it's unclear if they'll be successful, because even talking about cuts is one thing, but actually enacting them, especially in a divided, narrowly divided house and a narr

manu raju joins us now. so manu kash patel was once an attorney in the obama era. justice department. but it's his closeness to president-elect trump that has him on the threshold of running the fbi. tell us more. >> yeah. that's right. he emerged as one of donald trump's fiercest allies on the outside. and one big reason why he has gotten this nomination. now, this is a rather unusual decision by the incoming president to name to essentially name a new fbi director, even as the current fbi director, christopher wray, still has three years left on his term. remember this is pretty standard practice has been that an fbi director typically serves for ten years. that is a term that they have in order for them to present the idea that they are not being influenced by one administration or the other, they would serve out for multiple presidential terms. but in this case, donald trump is indicating that he's prepared to fire christopher wray, the current fbi director someone who himself was installed by trump in the aftermath of trump firing james comey back in 2017. but

cnn's manu raju joins us now up on capitol hill manu. what else are you hearing? >> yeah, this is very much an exercise by the trump team to try to get republican senators in line. they're not even trying to reach out to democrats because next year, remember they have to get someone confirmed along straight party lines. they really need a simple majority of republican senators that means losing no more than three on any party line vote. so they are getting those folks in the republican conference in line but there are still a number of republicans who are holding their cards very close to their vest. now, in these closed door meetings yesterday, i'm told that the questions about those misconduct allegations really did not come up in a lot of those meetings, including with senator tommy tuberville of alabama, someone who's very much in line with donald trump said he did not ask him about those allegations in the new yorker article but he also indicated that he would support him on the floor of the senate i asked him about why those issues did not come up really ser

let's go to cnn's manu raju live for us on capitol hill. and, manu, what are you hearing from republicans, especially when it comes to trump's pick for defense secretary pete hegseth, who's on the hill pressing the flesh and meeting with republican senators today. >> yeah, this is a meeting that's about to start in a matter of minutes with senator eric schmitt of missouri. this coming after a number of republicans have simply not saying how they would come down whether they would support this nomination. but acknowledging that this could be a difficult road because democrats are likely to be in unison opposing this nominee. and more than three republican senators, if they were to vote against him, that would mean that he could not get the votes to become confirmed. that a much more than three republican senators who have concerns, who have questions about these allegations of misconduct, that have come out in various reports, and what key senator. earlier today, senator lindsey graham acknowledged the tough road ahead and for hegseth to get

cnn's manu raju is live for us on capitol hill. manu, first, let's start with the fact that republican leader mitch mcconnell suffered a fall at the capitol today. how is he doing? what exactly happened? >> yeah, he's back to work, but he is wearing a bandage under his left eye and also wearing a brace on his left wrist. as you can see there from the picture on your screen, he was walking out of a republican lunch and tripped, and he fell. and that's what led to some paramedics coming to his office. they ultimately said he was fine and sustained those minor injuries. his office says he is back at work. this comes, of course, mcconnell, who's 82 years old. he's a childhood survivor of polio. he walks with a slight limp and has a weak leg. so sometimes he trips and falls. it's happened more recently. as of late last year, he fell, hit his head, had a concussion, broke some ribs, was out from the senate for some time. he had a couple of episodes that became, of course, viral moments that were freezing episodes both on capitol hill and

cnn's manu raju is live on capitol hill for us. and so far, manu. republican senators at least publicly, seem to be supporting hegseth. >> yeah, a lot of them are, jake. >> but remember, there's little margin for error. >> assuming that all democrats vote against this nominee in the new congress, it will be 5347, meaning that just four republican senators breaking ranks on a party line vote could scuttle this nomination. and there are concerns among a lot of them. in fact, just moments ago, senator lindsey graham, a close ally of president elect donald trump, said that the accusations are, quote, disturbing and said that the confirmation prospects for hegseth will be, quote, difficult going forward. and senator joni ernst someone who has actually been a survivor of sexual assault, said that she has going to have some frank conversation later this week with hegseth. she is notably undecided about this nomination. i caught up with a number of republican senators today about this, and some are demanding more information including a full background chec

let's bring in cnn's manu raju who's live for us on capitol hill right now. manu. you've been catching up with republicans who have met with trump's pick for secretary of defense veteran and former fox host pete hegseth. just yesterday, the new yorker magazine reported that hegseth had been forced out of a veterans advocacy group over allegations of misconduct. what do the senators with whom you've spoken think is going to happen with this confirmation it's still an open question, jake, whether or not he can in fact get the votes to be confirmed. >> there are a lot of republicans who are holding their cards close to the vest. they want to hear pete hegseth not only discuss these allegations that have come out in these reports, but his vision for how he would carry out his sweeping potential. major changes to the pentagon. his own view on policy, something that a lot of members simply don't have a clear understanding of exactly how he would do just that. but he is meeting with members of the senate armed services committee republican members. that will be the first

our chief congressional correspondent, manu raju, has the latest details for us. joining us live from capitol hill. manu, tell us about this pressure campaign. i understand it's rather intense. and is it working? yeah. >> there's threats, wolf, for primary challenges. in fact, one republican senator who voted to convict donald trump in his second impeachment trial, bill cassidy, is already facing a primary challenge. there's others who are allied with donald trump are saying that if anyone breaks ranks, that they could also face primary challenges in 2026. and some of those senators coming from some conservative states. now, there's also pushback from republican senators who say that going too far could actually lead to some of these members breaking from donald trump and actually could backfire in some ways. and one senator who has broken with trump repeatedly over the years, senator lisa murkowski, someone who opposed his pick of brett kavanaugh to serve in the supreme court, also voted to convict donald trump in that second impeachment trial, indicated that thi

manu raju is out front on capitol hill. manu, what is the latest you're hearing out there in this chaos? and i'm sure everyone is exhausted. >> yeah, a big sigh of relief after two days of hectic, frantic and very tense negotiations in the aftermath of both musk and donald trump engaging very late and trump making that late demand to not only to scuttle this bipartisan deal, but to add the increase of a national debt limit, a politically fraught issue that typically takes months to resolve to just get that done in a couple of days simply because he did not want to deal with it while he is president. in his term, democrats did not want to give in on that issue because they see that as leverage to fight the trump agenda in the next term. the end result was that donald trump did not get what he wanted. he had to set it aside amid bipartisan opposition, including from some conservative republicans. and in talking to republicans today, it was clear that a lot of them believed that trump mishandled this issue. >> to get any of thi

. >> cnn's manu raju is live for us now from the hill. manu, what are you hearing from lawmakers ahead of today's meetings about how they are reacting to this news well, there are a lot of republican senators who are simply not there yet about trying to make it take a position about whether to support pete hegseth. >> there are he does have support, some sizable support among republican senators. but remember, it takes just three, just four republican senators to break ranks, assuming all democrats vote no in the new congress to essentially scuttle this nomination. and there are more than three. there are several who are not taking a position one way or the other. they want the confirmation hearings to take place. they some want an fbi background check. it's unclear if that will happen, and they want to get a chance to ask him these questions themselves. now, behind closed doors over the last day or so, he has been meeting with some conservative republican senators in those meetings. some of the senators themselves have not asked pete hegs

pete hegseth our chief congressional correspondent, manu raju, is up on capitol hill with an update. and cnn's kristen holmes is joining us from outside the trump transition headquarters in florida. manu, first to you, what is senator lindsey graham of south carolina saying about hegseth chances, right now? >> he says it's going to be a difficult road ahead. and that is what is echoed by a number of republican senators that i have been talking to over the last couple of days, indicating that while hegseth could potentially get the votes, getting there could be a slog in large part because of these allegations of misconduct, because of these reports that have come out and because of questions about his whether he can actually do the job or the monumental job of running the pentagon. now, a number of in order to get confirmed, he would have to limit defections to just three republican senators, assuming all democrats vote against it. there are more than three republican senators, senators who have concerns about this, and that's essentially what graham echoed to reporters in speaking to

cnn's manu raju is with us now from capitol hill. a lot going on where you are there, manu? we're going to get to patel here in just a minute. but you also just spoke with pete hegseth, trump's pick for secretary of defense. what did you learn yeah, this was after a critical meeting with senator joni ernst. >> she is considered a swing vote on the gop side. she's a member of the senate armed services committee. and she is someone who's getting a ton of attention from the trump team and from hegseth himself. in fact hegseth met with ernst last week and spoke to ernst over the weekend. and today was back in her office here meeting with her for about half an hour. and that meeting just wrapped up. i mean, ernst remember, is she is a combat veteran. she is someone who is has experienced sexual assault herself and pushed to reform how sexual assault claims are dealt with within the pentagon and pete hegseth as we know, has been accused of sexual assault he has denied those claims. but that was supposed to be a topic. sexual assault and women in the military were expected to come

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as a shutdown now looms in just a matter of hours. >> our thanks to manu raju there so far. president biden stayed out of the funding fight, but the white house says congressional republicans are, quote, doing the bidding of billionaire benefactors at the expense of hard working americans. arlette saenz is at the white house for us this morning. we're just hours away from a government shutdown right before the holidays. is president biden planning to weigh in on this well, we're still waiting to hear exactly if we will hear from president biden himself. >> but the white house and agencies across the federal government are bracing for this potential shutdown, readying their plans for how workers should proceed if congress does not reach a deal in the next 17 hours. now, senior officials here at the white house have been in close coordination with democrats up on capitol hill on messaging and next steps. they believe that the onus is really on republicans to sort out this situation, that they should stick to the initial bipartisan agreement they had reached with democrats earl

. >> cnn chief congressional correspondent manu raju has more on the allegations against hegseth and his damage control efforts on capitol hill. >> there are a number of republican senators who simply will not say if they will support pete hegseth nomination for secretary of defense, because of all the misconduct allegations that have come out in the past, as well as questions about whether he can actually do the job. what are the people who is most skeptical about him right now? is the republican senator joni ernst. she is someone who has pointedly undecided about whether she will get on board. could actually vote for his nomination. she's actually someone who has endured sexual assault herself a victim of sexual assault, and is trying to push to change the practices of how the pentagon deals with these sexual assault claims. now, hegseth, of course, has been accused of sexual assault. he's denied those allegations, but leaving a meeting with him for about 45 minutes on wednesday afternoon, she refused to say if she would support him for the position. she only said she had a thoroug

manu raju has more from capitol hill. reporter republican senators began to fall in line behind donald trump's most controversial picks including to run the fbi. >> that, of course, is a position that wouldn't necessarily need a nominee. but donald trump is signaling that he is ready to fire the existing fbi director, christopher wray even though wray has three more years left on his term. and replace him with kash patel, someone who has been very much in line with the maga wing of the republican party. but a number of republican senators, including the incoming chairman of the senate judiciary committee, chuck grassley, who is trying to said in a letter issued on monday that he has, quote no confidence in wray's leadership. told me after his meeting with kash patel that patel actually agrees with his position. >> if you will look at a letter i sent to wray today that this nominee thinks that those things are wrong. >> they violate my responsibility of congressional oversight. and he wants to make sure that congressional

inside politics sunday with manu raju. up next

inside politics sunday with manu raju next on cnn the bombshell pick president-elect trump chooses a new fbi director. >> we're going to come after the people in the media who lied about american citizens, who helped joe biden rig presidential elections. >> controversial loyalist kash patel. can he get confirmed? what will he do if he is? my panel of experts will break it all down. and the elon effect. elon musk celebrates thanksgiving at mar-a-lago as the tesla ceo gears up for his new role. >> there's so much government waste. we have to radically reduce the amount of government spending. >> how will he shape the future of government? tesla and spacex investor cathie wood will join me live. plus, democrats search for a path forward. who will they choose to lead their party in the new trump era? i'll ask wisconsin democratic party chairman ben wikler. inside politics the best reporting from inside the corridors of power starts now good morning. welcome to inside politics sunday. i'm manu raju president-elect donald trump's stunning saturday evening announcement is sending shockwaves