pete coones passed away.tice system. before pete died, he told us he still believed in it, too. pete coones: a lot of this comes right back to everything he told me. freedom is not free. it's tough. and you always stand up for what you believe in. and i did. hello, i'm craig melvin, and this is "dateline." garrett warren: you know when they tell you your life passes before your eyes? you think about everything that happened in your life and, you wonder am i ready to die? craig melvin: he was a hollywood stuntman, but this was no hollywood stunt. this was a hit.

it is my cousin telling me the latest about pete. >> yeah, i know pete, and people who know pete, and trump knows pete, the pete of today, he is a good father, a good husband to jen, he has seven kids, he's a wonderful son. and wonderful son to his brothers and his friends, he's a changed man and i hope people will get to know who pete is today, especially our dear female senators that you would listen to him. listen with your heart to the truth of pete. >> steve: i heard you say was he's a changed man. the man you wrote to in 2018, who you were really mad at. >> as a mom. >> steve: he is different than that man? >> absolutely. i believe that with all my heart and i wouldn't be sitting here if i didn't believe he is the man for the job. >> steve: as you look at what is going on in washington, d.c., this is the way it works. there are people who want pete to get the job and people who don't want pete to get the job. that has to be tough, they don't like my son. you add allegations and it becomes more complicated. >> pete and i are both warriors and i've developed a really tough skin ov

pete hegseth said he's not going to reveal how much money he paid her. why not? that is a legitimate senate confirmation question, how much did you pay? did you pay more than donald trump paid stormy daniels? donald trump is no doubt allowing the hegseth madness to continue to give him time to choose his next secretary of defense, make that next choice. donald trump had his next attorney general choice ready to announce the day after he forced matt gaetz to drop out. when pete hegseth drops out tomorrow or next week, it will mean that donald trump has the announcement for secretary of defense ready to go the next day. we've seen it before. we now know the routine. that's how it will go. when pete hegseth was repeatedly trying to climb on stage with strippers during his second marriage, he was working in a small veterans organization where he grossly mismanaged the finances and was fired. all of that has been documented in reporting in the new yorker and elsewhere. the mission of that veterans organization was to support the war in iraq, a war pete hegseth served

hegseth and they want to see pete has pete has at least get to the confirmation process somewhere that of course, we know matt gaetz didn't get to. but of course, i think all these drip, drip, drip of information, certainly the npr report today makes it that much more difficult, even though when i've talked to people since the nominee sat down with megyn kelly, they thought he did a good job. they thought his mom did a good job today on fox, really trying to use that charm offensive that he's known so well for. but certainly i think that the drip of information and is more accusations come, it makes it more difficult for him and and i know just kind of responding back to his lawyer of course they can deny it. they've been really profusely profusely saying that these things didn't happen or that there were kernels of truth, but what they can't deny is when that background check happens and what it says not necessarily just about the alleged behavior that he's had with women that i've heard, of course, are concerning to women senators, particularly on the gop side. but of course, the pot

a war pete hegseth served in. the very same war that donald trump condemns as "absolutely unnecessary and a complete and total waste." pete hegseth hated that about donald trump, at the beginning of donald trump's political career. and here's what he had to say about it, on march 4th, 2016, when donald trump was well on his way to winning the republican presidential nomination. >> it's typical trump. all bluster, very little substance. he talks a tough game, but then when pressed on it, he is an on chair tough guy. >> pete hegseth, of course, has since backed down. from all of his criticism of donald trump, then. so, who is the arm chair tough guy, now? today, pete hegseth was granted page space in the wall street journal to publish a self-defense op-ed piece with this line in the title "i won't back down." he will back down. he has backed down before, for donald trump. and he will back down again. as soon as donald trump has his replacement ready to go. leading off our discussion tonight is democratic congresswom

one more thing on pete real quick. he -- it's going well because he has the support of donald trump. do you know who else he has the support of? one other really important contingency, constituency, the rank and file of the united states military, the soldiers, your war fighters. they support pete hegseth as secretary of defense. rachel: is there going to be -- i thought i read that there was going to be, and actually people told me, there's going to be a bunch of navy seals who are getting together to -- do you know much a ant this? will: i do. rachel: tell us about it. i'll tell you how i found out about it, but go ahead and tell us. will: i happen to to the know there's large groups of navy seals, green berets who are prepared to sign on and show up in person to display their support for pete hegseth. rachel: yeah. that's a powerful thing. will: we had house speaker mike johnson on with us earlier. we talked about this. >> i'm optimistic about it. i think he's on the right track. i talked to a number of senators per

right there with pete hegseth. norm coleman is one of -- is not one of those respected former senators who's respected on both sides of the aisle. there are fewer and fewer of those than ever, but norm coleman was never going to be the kind of respected senate veteran who could actually in any way help a troubled nominee get through the confirmation process. of course, the best possible guide you could have in the senate as a nominee is an actual, current united states senator. and if you're a troubled nominee, an actual, current united states senator can be invaluable to your senate tour. clarence thomas is on the supreme court tonight largely because he was guided through what became a senate lobbying campaign by republican senator jack danforth of missouri who was a sitting senator at the time. and one of the most respected members of the senate by both parties. jack danforth saved that nomination. pete hegseth does not have a senate savior. in brief comments to reporters today in the hallway of the senate pete

pete hegseth is not going to be confirmed for secretary ofd defense. it's all over. if we're on the same schedule we were on with the matt gaetz nomination, that means donald trump will give up on pete hegseth on thursday. as i explained here last night, it only takes one republican on the senate committee to kill the hegseth nomination in that committee. i also pointed out that that committee has two republican women who will be the first senators to vote on the hegseth nomination in that committee. and nbc news is now reporting that one of those women is now planning to make that a very,t very difficult confirmation hearing for pete hegseth if he somehow dares to show up for that two months from now. nbc news broke the news today of the number of senate republicans who are not supporting the hegseth nomination. it only takes four senate republicans added to all the democrats to defeat any republican nomination on the senate floor in the full senate vote, and nbc news is reporting as many as six senate republicans, perhaps more, are currently not comfortable support

he's playing pete seeger, the great folk singer pete seeger.ce when he was 92, we had him on "the colbert report" right before he died. he had lived through some dark times. it had tragedy in his own life, he had seen tragedy with his friends. just a warm, beautiful man who used his art and his community to keep his heart open to the world and that's a lesson for all of us to take into the holiday season and the new year. be with each other. be kind to each other. be loving with each other. folks. it's the most wonderful time of 2024, the time when it ends. and at the end of every year, we present our animated holiday special. this year's special addresses some of the biggest questions of 2024: did our democratic republic just elect an emperor? and how much health advice should we take from a guy who eats roadkill? all that and plenty of holiday cheer in this year's late show cartoon classic. "it's a worm-derful life." ♪ ♪ >> ho ho ho, all right, elves, it's been a tough year but the holidays have arrived and we can finally take a break from po

and pete brings that.ifferent perspective and we're excited about the opportunity to get him to get him nominated, because i feel like he will do a great job by having a completely different direction that secretary austin has taken this well and and i don't think anyone's surprised that a republican doesn't like how the president's pentagon secretary is running the pentagon. >> but i think on the standard for your past and for alcohol drinking obviously it's higher for someone who is, you know, asking to be confirmed by the senate. but but let me ask you, because roger wicker, who is going to be the incoming chair, said that he wants to see a whistleblower complaint when it comes to allegations of misconduct. when hegseth was running a veterans group, do you also want to see that whistleblower's complaint well, first of all, i want to go back to addressing secretary austin. >> yes i'll answer your question too, but it's not a republican that's making that claim. the facts are exactly what it is. and the d

i like pete. i hope pete can be confirmed.resident trump should give all of his -- get all of his picks. he won this swing states, the popular vote, the electoral vote -- the electoral college vote. he should get everyone he picks. i am all in for pete. i love ron desantis and wesley hunt. there are people that might be great but pete is who president trump picked. i'm 100% behind pete. i see nothing disqualifying that i have heard thus far. host: you mentioned pete hegseth 's mother. a 2018 published by the new york times is what has brought her in the spotlight. that email in which she wrote on behalf of all women. there are many you have abused in some way. get some help and take an honest look at yourself. i have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. you are that man and have been for years. that was her 2018 email she has since walked back. she was on fox news, fox and friends yesterday morning to talk about that reporting on that email. [video] >> you

"absolutely wasted" is now an accurate two word description of pete had to pete hegseth nomination to be secretary of defense. fox did not respond to nbc news' requests for comments. a spokesperson from the trump transition team added credibility to the allegations by calling the allegations, "completely unfounded and false." every single spokesperson who has ever worked for donald trump has repeatedly engaged in public lying. so, the presumption about any statement from a trump spokesperson should be that it is a lie. every trump spokesperson, including donald trump, has earned that presumption. pete hegseth's lawyer, who was far less comfortable with public lying, declined to comment. here is pete hegseth today, going door to door, desperately trying to talk to senators in the russell senate office building, but refusing to have that really frank and thorough conversation that senator joni ernst wants to have with him. >> and you respond to any of these allegations of misconduct? >> are senators concerned at all about your drinking? >> there's a new report saying that you are drinki

pete is a tennessean we proud of him.g with him, and voting for him for his confirmation. larry: all right terrific stuff thank you senator blackburn. >> you got it. >> joining me now, on set in name of god, do, mark simone, and joe concha. in the name of g god, go, oliver cromwell said that, it is a great line, i think that americans would say to joe biden in the name of god, go, we don't know who he will pardon next, he is spending a fortune and may be lobbing bombs to world war iii. >> who he will pardon his family, we don't have to worry about joe biden is him slowing down. that is not possible. larry: because, he is so slow now. >> yeah. larry: i want -- that joke needed some expansion. >> continue. >> we have a january 6 coming up a day where donald trump needs to be certified. and make sure democrats let to smoothly, i think high he will have a garage sale, he left vice presidency taking hundreds of classified documentses. larry: yes, illegally. >> and l left senate taking classified documents who knows what he is

and i believe pete is the same way. pete is in his past. why? i haven't had that conversation with him i will tell you that it's not a concern that i have with him at all. and to be quite frank with you, caitlyn, i haven't spoke to any of my republican colleagues that have actually brought this up. we've had other conversations about him and that we've we've addressed, but that conversation in in the settings i've been with him has never came up. not one time. >> well, this was something that was this is why i asked you about the last 24 to 48 hours, because this is new information that had been coming out, which obviously today in an interview that he did, you know he said that he's never had a drinking problem. but i think the concern that i had heard was, you know, is it a good sign if the nominee to run the pentagon who obviously gets calls in the middle of the night, has to reassure the chairman, he won't be drinking on the job i really do think that's that's that's not a concern at all i if you're up here in dc, you've been to meetings you

she has never said i think pete is going to be great. reporters who have covered the confirmation process before know that the keyword to listen for is yes. that's the word you have to hear. and they all know that as of now, pete hegseth is not close to getting 51 yes votes in the united states senate. on monday after senator ernest released her written statement about supporting pete through the process in which she was obviously trying to deflect all of that intense pressure that donald trump's allies have been putting on her in her home state of iowa reporters following her through the hallways of the senate wanted to know what her written statement actually meant. because to them it meant nothing. none of those experienced reporters believed that that written statement was a turnaround for joni ernst. when the reporters asked her what the written statement actually meant, she could have easily said it means i'm voting yes to confirm pete hegseth. she did not come close to saying that. >> what does that mean? >> it means that we're ha

i worked with pete. i have nothing against pete hegseth, but what i put him, if you and i were on the board of directors of the pentagon, we're trying to hire a ceo. what? i put him in charge of a 3 million person organization that has roughly $1 trillion in its budget, which is the largest organization inside the 14 million person entity known as the u.s. government. and so my answer would be no, not that he's not a great guy not that he couldn't do other jobs, but that's not the right job. there's a procurement process. there's a consulting process. there's a morale process. sure. there's a culture issue. if the president says there's a culture issue, find somebody that can help shift the culture. but remember, this is a several hundred year old organization. i just want to bring up this one point, because this happened on my watch. the president tweeted that he was revoking the, uh, the policies related to gays in the military. the transgender policies. he put that out by tweet. i walked into the oval

that's right- pete _ little bit about him. that's right. pete hegseth - little bit about him.is- little bit about him. that's| right. pete hegseth is best known for being a television host on fox news on the weekend edition of fox news, fox and friends on the weekends. he is someone who has been an ally of the conservative right, someone who has been an ally of president—elect donald trump, someone who has been essentially someone who is a good mouthpiece for president—elect donald trump and also somebody who does not have a long, storied history of dealing with the bureaucracy of the military. he is an army veteran, he has worked for veterans organisations for years now but he has not had a formal role within the department of defence. and that has also been a big question for a lot of senators who say this seems like a guy who has, if nothing else, he has his heart in the right place but does he have the formal background to actually lead this massive department that has about 3 million or so employees?— has about 3 million or so emlo ees? . ., ~ employees? jarred hill, than

it's not just pete hegseth, right? how about this at least 11, at least 11 fox news hosts or contributors. again, you just see it's just so many names on here. my goodness gracious. we've got 11 on here. and finally how about mar-a-lago. you know trump administration picks who hosted or co-hosted events at mar-a-lago. look at this number. it is 1212, including those who co-hosted events at mar-a-lago. 12345, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11 and 12 with lee zeldin. the bottom line is this is that trump is someone who feeds on people being loyal to him, and there's no greater sign of loyalty than hosting or co-hosting event at mar-a-lago. and so that's what we got. >> how do you know steve witkoff? >> his son andrew witkoff, and i actually went to school together. he was a very, very good guy who unfortunately departed us far too soon yeah, well, of course, and we had him on our show as well. >> harry enten, thank you so much for that. and laying that all out. thank you all so much for in

overall, things don't look good for pete hegseth.news is, he has the perfect solution. >> you have a little bit more champagne and then your problem goes away. >> ronny: but thank buddha, let's move on to story that doesn't involve trump. yesterday, out of nowhere, the incredibly unpopular president of south korea declared martial law, and then, a few hours later after everyone got mad, he was like, "you know what, forget it, that was a stupid idea. how about that rose song?" [singing] to me, the craziest thing about this whole episode is what happened in south korea during the few hours of martial law. >> the announcement sparking massive protests in seoul. this woman's confrontation with an armed soldier going viral as she screams, "aren't you embarrassed" at him. >> ronny: holy shit. she knows that's a gun, right? she's grabbing it like it's a thing that doesn't shoot bullets. she's like, "is this a vacuum cleaner? what's this button do? i want to see it." this wasn't the only time a protester stood up to the military in south kor

trump's defense secretary pete. pete. president elect trump's defense secretary.th is back on capitol hill today vowing to stay the course as trump is reportedly considering replacements. stay with us for that cnn heroes, an all star tribute. >> meet and celebrate the honorees, then find out who will be hero of the year. plus, a special tribute to michael j. fox cnn heroes, an all star tribute sunday at eight on cnn knock, knock. >> number one broker here for the number one hit maker. >> thanks for swinging by carl. >> no problem. >> so what are all those for? >> this helps me adjust the base, add more guitar, maybe some drums. wow. >> so many choices. >> yeah, like schwab i can get full service wealth management advice, invest on my own and trade on thinkorswim. >> you know, carl is the only front man you need. >> oh i got to take this carl. it's schwab schwab have a choice in how you invest with schwab. >> this is an important message for anyone and everyone with medicare. if medicare is important to you then you need to hear this message. because medicare plans

i think media, many in the media were rushing to smear attempts with regard to pete pete leg and otherseth, and they were trying to knock him out, essentially, before he even got to the point of having these meetings. went pete hegseth dose into these meetings with senators, he's very impressive. he's going to clean up the dod, get it focused, get the accountability down. one of the things i really like about him as well, two bronze stars, he served in combat in iraq -- howard: nobody can deny that for even a second. >> and he's someone that knows the risks when you send someone into combat because he did it himself. our whole point all along is we want the make sure these nominees get their meetings and hearings because all of them are very highly qualified, all of them are going tock -- to be rock stars once they the get in. and all of them are saying, you know what? we have a decision to make with regard to accountability. and voters made their opinions heard and said give these guys the chance. that's why there's not a single hard no from any republican against -- howard: well, a l

we know that, he told pete, according to pete hegseth, that he had his full support and that he's still trying to fight for every single vote he has more meetings up on the hill next week but of course, the question is whether or not donald trump continues to maintain that support. we are told the reason that he has not pulled away from hegseth is twofold. one, the fact that they do believe there's this pathway, that there aren't any hard nosed like what we saw with attorney general nominee matt gaetz. it was just very clear early on. but two, a part of what is going on here is the fact that donald trump is being told by some of his advisers that they don't want him to seemingly lose again in a battle with lawmakers, that this could be some kind of power struggle. but at the end of the day, we know one thing. this looks very different from the matt gaetz situation for a number of reasons. one, donald trump isn't really rallying behind hegseth in the same way. he is clearly lending his support. but he's not personally calling senators, and it doesn't appear that he's going to. jd vance,

kennedy jr., or pete hegseth? what is happening is trump's pick to lead the pentagon, pete hegseth, has been walking the halls of congress and meeting with republican senators in an effort to save his defense secretary nomination. trump nominated former fox host is fighting to save his nomination amid allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement, and alcohol abuse, all of which pete hegseth denies. while defending pete hegseth today in a social post, donald trump stopped short of asking republican senators to confirm him. in an exclusive interview with kristen welker set to air on "meet the press" this sunday, donald trump said this. >> it looks like pete is doing well now. i mean people were a little bit concerned. he's a young guy with a tremendous track record actually, went to princeton and went to harvard. he was a good student at both, but he loves the military and i think people are starting to see it. so we'll be working on his nomination along with a lot of others. >> since you bring him up,

donald trump, obviously, inviting -- sending the message by inviting pete. i'm standing by pete.hat's message with daniel penny, guys? kevin: a couple things stand out to me. first of all, it's a redemption story. i think if you think about what he was e attempting to do and the jury obviously, i think, echoes this, if you're trying to help protect others, and i think that was his instinct as a marine, let me see if if i can help protect other people. and he's been acquitted. obviously, there's still a civil circumstance that he's gown to have to deal with -- going to have to deal with, but in the criminal case, i think the people spoke and spoke loudly. and i think by being there yesterday, this is once again an american story the of redemption and to say, and i think the president was saying this without saying it explicitly, listen, you are what's good about this country. you are trying to make it better. you are trying to reclaim your life. you had a very tough circumstance. he did the best he could in a very split decision circumstance. i was actually quite happy to see the

can pete hegseth do that?lican senators they are lejt a matly asking that question. i don't know that he is long for the last in this nomination, we will see, but i think the question is who is next in terms of the target for quiet defiance? is it kash patel? is it tulsi gabbard? i think it's probably one of the two of them. and these hearings are not going to start until january. so to me the next two weeks could be quite interesting. you're right, though, if you are tulsi gabbard or kash patel, you're delighted right now that all of the focus is on pete hegseth. but i do think that this -- the way that it's working so far could work for a company of additional nominees. that there's discomfort i think on a bipartisan level about. >> it has just been next level, though, in terms of how ridiculous the process can get. you know, katty, there are reports that pete hegseth's mother has been calling senators to lobby on his behalf. can you think of any other cabinet position where the candidate's mother has called

pete is a tennesseen. proud of him and we are looking forward to standing with him and voting for him for his confirmation. larry: terrific stuff. thank you, senator blackburn. we appreciate it. you've got it. larry: appreciate you very much. all right, joining me now on the set in the name of god, go. mark simone, wor radio show host hall of famer, joe concha fox news contributor. in the name of god, go. oliver cromwell said that to the parliament in the 18th century. i was out to lunch that day. i don't think he was a great guy, just a great line because i think americans would say to joe biden in the name of god, go. we don't even know who he's going to pardon next. he's trying to spend a fortune and he may be lobbying bombs into world war iii. >> well whose he going to pardon? probably the other family members, the two brothers and sister. >> jim biden. >> frank biden and i'm sure hunter is out right now scouting who needs a pardon. larry: [laughter] brother. >> one thing we don't have to worry about i

there has been less resistance to pete hegseth in that same vein.ng difference, obviously a republican has spoken out against sexual assault that she experienced, so she has been a priority for the hegseth team to try to convince them. our reporting is that she wants to get some concessions out of hegseth, some promises if he were to become the defense secretary and in return she would support his confirmation, so there is a lot of horse training going on and i think it would be a mistake to write him off just yet. >> so, pete hegseth actually said something, he said he is willing to do -- he would much rather do the public confirmation hearing, he has no fears about doing that and in an incredibly insulting comparison, he said you know, it's the same thing as the brett kavanaugh hearings, but does pete hegseth seriously think that a public confirmation hearing would actually end up being a better form for which people are going to express their concerns? it's not just the allegations of sexual assault, it's the allegations of drinking problems, the

lindsey has a problem with pete, joanie ernst, leading campaign to get rid of pete, they need 3 or 4licans to defeat him and i would say this, his nomination must go forward and people must vote on the record, there must be a roll call vote so we the people know how every single senator votes, every single one of them especially the new republican majority. how did they get a new republican majority? thanks to donald trump and we the people and we the people have just about enough of this. i want to go down memory lane a little bit. it's not just eric swawell who by the way slept with a chinese spy, remember her, fang fang and he sits on the judiciary committee, homeland security committee and nancy pelosi -- of course, we will not remove him from homeland security, he's our guy. what about the lying of the senate. anybody remember ted kennedy, he fit like all the buckets, boozer, womennizer and on top of that trapaquitic, many have in the background, not many. they wanted him to be president, there was a big deal when he passed away on and on. bill clinton was accused of rape by jua

i know pete and the people who know us know pete and trump knows pete and he knows the pete of today. and he knows the pete who is a good father, a good husband to jen. he's got seven kids. he's a wonderful son wonderful son, and a wonderful son to his brothers and all his friends. he's a changed man and i just hope people will will get to know who pete is today, especially our dear female senators that you would listen to him listen with your heart to the truth of pete with me. >> now to discuss the path to confirmation or not democratic strategist matt bennett lee carter is also here. strategic communications expert. it's great to see you guys. thanks for being here. and lee, you have known pete hegseth for quite some time. yes um, the appearance from his mom hearing from penelope there this morning. do you think it fixes the trouble that his confirmation is facing? >> i don't know if it fixes it, but it certainly helps. i mean, it dimensionalizes. what's happening? i mean there is no question what happened in his previous marriage and where he is today. and i'm sure there are rocky

who pulled triggers with pete and they really respect pete hegseth. rachel: i have one other thing to say. he met my father. my father came here on the anniversary of the air force. my father is a chief master sergeant. the kind of deference he has for enlisted master sergeant. he was an officer, pete hegseth. he respects enlisted men, enlisted men respect him. the deference showed for my father who was here as retired veteran of 33 30 years, retired master sergeant, shows me he is someone who loves soldiers. that's what we talk about when we talk about changing the military. you see the disasters we're in across the world, so many times people making these decisions they have never had a stake in those wars that they send our men and women across and that is one of the things that i love most about pete hegseth is that gets it. gets it from the very bottom level and those enlisted men and women respect him for that. >> of course, it's what president trump recognizes about pete. rachel: clearly. >> several lawmakers calling on elon musk and vivek rama

pete hegseth is unqualified to serve as secretary of defense.ibly important job with a lot of jurisdiction, a giant budget, and the fact that he has been accused of sexual assault, that his own mother wrote a scathing note to him about what a terrible person he was and how abusive he is, he's been accused of being drunk on the set at fox news and now senator graham has said let's see the report of the nondisclosure agreement. my worry, of course, in this is that jane doe who is the accuser is going to be bullied, intimidated and will be dragged through the mud. there's a reason victims of sexual assault are very reluctant to come forward because they're the ones who get put on trial. i will say it again. there are a lot of people who are republicans who are qualified to be secretary of defense. pete hegseth is not one of them and the only reason he is being chosen is because he is blindly loyal to president-elect donald trump. >> leaving all the scandal elements aside a moment on hegseth, what do you make of his qualifications otherwise? >> he w

no so not just for pete's sake. no. >> it would be quite a promotion for senator for for joni ernst to be promoted. she's a sitting senator. she's managed and she's served right. look, there are plenty. there are plenty ron desantis, not my cup of tea, but he's the governor of a state, and he's managed a state, and he has served joni ernst importantly to also commanded, she commanded a company commander. >> she commanded as a battalion commander and her son in law serves. >> she's involved she said today, pete was it was a great conversation with pete hegseth. >> we got to we got to go allison. appreciate you being here. thank you very much. thank you. and everyone else stick around coming up next, a new report that says biden's white house team is now considering preemptive pardons for maga enemies. people like anthony fauci, liz cheney as well. plus, we've got some breaking news tonight in that manhunt that is underway right here in new york after a brazen assassination of a health insurance executive right on the

pete hegseth is a heatshield . pete can take the heat, and that is better for everyone else. joining now is eugene daniels, political play for writer. the staff writer at the atlantic, guys, it is great to have you this friday night. let me first start with how this reporting we are getting tonight, trump's comments, they are getting their first hearing from the interviews with me depressed, how that all squares with what you are hearing inside washington on the hill about pete hegseth's support and how far along in his nomination that it may move. >> it seems this changes everything the day, sometimes multiple times a day. at this point, the aide around president trump feel better about him, but the same senators who have concerns and are worried about the allegations and the different reports that we have seen, most of them are still in the exact same place. we heard from the senator from iowa, who has railed against the dod and the pentagon, and sexual assault within the organization, over and over again. she tweeted today that she was looking forward to continuing to talk

so, too, with donald trump's nomination of pete hegseth for secretary of defense. we can only wonder what pete hegseth was doing over the weekend when the regime in syria was collapsing. he has promised to stop drinking only if he is confirmed as secretary of defense. that means according to his former co-workers at fox when he was hosting a weekend morning show, it is possible that pete hegseth was drunk all weekend this weekend, as he reportedly has been in the past while working at fox. it is extremely likely that president biden had private conversations, possibly several this weekend, with defense secretary lloyd austin as the situation was rapidly unfolding in syria. that's the kind of job defense secretary is, the urgent situations and the urgent calls that can happen at any moment of the day or night, including the weekends. if pete hegseth doesn't have a drinking problem, there is still no reason to think that he could handle any aspect of the job of defense secretary at any level of sobriety. donald trump apparently believes he can somehow avoid the embar

i don't think it will be pete hegseth. around sexual violence, the conversation around the abuse and use of alcohol that leads into this week is an important moment for the country. >> i mean, just to build on what david jolly is saying, it's an important moment to recognize that the men and women who have served especially in combat are owed a nuanced and in-depth look, right, at the full account of their contributions and their failings, and i haven't seen much coverage at all, in right wing media, where most of the trump coalition consumes their information. >> i mean david makes a fantastic point. thank you for all you said. we've had this conversation around opioid addiction. we didn't have this conversation around crack addiction back in the day. this is a moment in time to kind of put our arms around this. i just can't help but think that we have elon musk and vivek ramaswamy talking about how to cut the federal budget in different places. you know, wasn't that sort of the defund the police argument. let's take mone

pete hegseth would not comment for the piece. though someone described as an advisor to him told the magazine the claims were, quote, outlandish. outlandish or not what jay mayer's reporting is describing is how things apparently went with the last two tiny organizations that he ran. two very small right-wing advocacy groups that had a handful of staff. now trump wants him in charge of the largest department in the u.s. government with an $800 billion budget and 3 million people to be in charge of. in 1989 george h.w. bush, newly elected president, nominated this man, john tower, to be his secretary of defense. john tower was then accused of womanizing and drunkenness on a scale significantly smaller than this. john tower then made history by becoming the first cabinet nominee the senate had ever rejected from a newly elected president. when pete hegseth was announced as trump's choice for defense secretary, the trump transition team was apparently completely unaware of the rape allegations that had been leveled against him in ca

pete hegseth has been shot at in combat. that's exactly the type of person that we want leading the dod before any commitment is made to put our troops in harm's way. >> there's not going to be, or at least there has not yet been an fbi vetting. we heard justin talk about the public vetting he did, but the fbi is going to go deeper even than our friend jane mayer at the new yorker could go, even though she's an exceptional reporter. do you foresee that being an issue with any republicans in the senate? i'm sure democrats are going to raise it. if there's no fbi vetting of these including hegseth, can you imagine the republicans are all going to say okay to that? >> i mean, you have to think of levels of credibility. maybe the media is easy to dismiss. republicans can easily get away with saying that's just the left-wing media. what institution would they trust? would they trust a report from the fbi? a lot of the people criticizing pete hegseth were republicans. a lot of people from the veterans organizations. i think if the

. >> ainsley: our sixth year, it has been pete hegseth, when pete was asked to go to the white house,stepped up. >> brian: day two for the manhunt for the killing of brian thompson. >> steve: the killer left perhaps clues that could point to a motive or misdirect. >> ainsley: chanley painter has details, what is the latest? >> chanley: we're learning the shooter may have left a message on evidence found at the scene where brian thompson was gunned down outside a new york city hotel. police releasing this chilling sur surveillance video showing thompson raising his -- and the man raising his handgun. the man waited all night for the executives to walk by. >> i look and the guy cross and run. he was here on this corner the whole night. >> chanley: after the asarks assassination, the man jumped on an e-bike and drove away. >> the motive for this murder is unknown, based on evidence we have so far, this does appear the victim was targeted, we do not know why. this does not appear to be random act of violence. >> chanley: clues about a possible motive found on evidence at the scene. accord

she's involved she said today, pete was it was a great conversation with pete hegseth. >> we got to we got to go. allison, appreciate you being here thank you very much. thank you. and everyone else stick around. coming up next, a new report that says biden's white house team is now considering preemptive pardons for maga enemies people like anthony fauci liz cheney as well. plus, we've got some breaking news tonight in that manhunt that is underway right here in new york after a brazen assassination of a health insurance executive right on the streets here. what was found at the scene sunday on cnn. >> it's a night that's good for the soul. join anderson cooper and laura coates for cnn heroes an all star tribute. >> thank you guys. >> meet the honorees and celebrate their life changing achievements they're ordinary people doing extraordinary things. then find out who will be named the cnn hero of the year. >> it's really incredible. >> plus, don't miss a special tribute to this year's legacy award honoree, michael j. fox cnn heroes, an all star tribute sunday at eight on cnn when i wa

and pete hegseth's case the defense department.ovement. they have coalesced around him using all of the weapons and assets to back them up, and i think it's a line in the sand for them and democracy because he is up first. >> when i say we did not know he was accused in the 10 people outfoxed said he shows up to work drunk? why not give it to tom cotton? >> if you can bust through with pete hegseth other things become easy. this is a long played by trump. he knows it is a reach. it would not happen in normal times. he is the perfect guy to carry the flag and be the teeth of the >> for this movement. if he goes down he will be a sacrificial lamb and still be very relevant to the community. it also shows the playbook because this is exactly what they will use for tulsi gabbard and kash patel. the question is going to be where are the moderates? susan collins is in the crosshairs. they won't have the same kind of impact on her. i think joni ernst is probably being very strategic here. they are saying let's wait for the fbi investigati

pete's next. politico reports that is the assessment from one republican senator who believes pete hegseth will soon be out as president elect trump's pentagon pick. that would be a huge development, maybe even bigger. what would happen in its wake? because this morning florida governor ron desantis is being floated as a possible replacement for texas. we've got brand new reporting on sort of the back and forth that's been happening behind the scenes already between trump and desantis, and how trump feels about all this. we are standing by to hear from desantis. we are standing by to hear from him for his first interview since new allegations of sexual misconduct and drinking, and more. we're standing by to hear from texas mother on tv after an e-mail surfaced where she expressed alarm over her son's treatment of women. but again new reporting on where ron desantis fits in all of this. let's get right to florida, man steve contorno the twists and turns here. some new developments. steve john. >> t

this is pete hegseth's mother writing to her son pete hegseth. quote, that the ugly truth and i have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego. you are that man and you have been for years. as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that. but it is the sad, sad truth. i am not a saint, far from it, so don't throw that in my face but your abuse over the years to women, dishonesty, sleeping around, betrayal, debasing and belittling needs to be called out. she would go on to tell "the new york times" once she learned "the new york times" had a copy of this email that she had sent her son a follow-up email apologizing for what she said. all the the same, pete hegseth's mother by her own telling of, quote, anger and emotion, wrote those words to her son. >> there is definitely some concerning details that are coming out from a lot of people who know pete hegseth very well here and i think one of the things that i'm thinking about as this conversation continues is also, you k

but trump is not the only person pete hegseth has to convince here. hegseth's real battle will be in the senate. today hegseth was on the hill meeting with senators including joni ernst and incoming senate leader john thune. yesterday one senate republican told "the washington post" these are controversial appointments, and that hegseth ranks a member of congress the toughest trump nominee to make it through the senate. that senate republican is correct. these are controversial appointments. in fact, there are multiple reports now citing anonymous sources in the senate who all have different takes as to who actually takes the cake as the hardest trump nominee to get past the senate. today another anonymous senate republican aide spoke to "the hill" about trump's pick of tulsi gabbard and said, quote, gabbard still head the toughest path. she is at the most risk. behind closed doors people think gabbard might be compromised. it's not hyperbole. there are members of our conference who think she is a russian asset. yeah, definitely seems like a tough cal

com pete hegseth nomination to be the next defense secretary. >> it's in trouble. it is clear that his past and what he did and didn't tell the trump administration about it is a problem. and since trump announced his plans to nominate the former fox news anchor a bunch of past allegations have surfaced of drunken misbehavior sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement of the veterans nonprofit that he once ran. cnn's harry enten has the numbers on how much has changed for that man and how fast it has changed for him, how have things shifted over the last weeks? >> i mean oh, my chance that pete had sex is confirmed as the defense secretary. >> you look, three weeks ago, john berman very surprised by these stats. he had an 83% chance, per the betting markets, tumbling down a drop of more than 70 percentage points holy toledo 12%. now i mean, matt gaetz, when he steps aside, still had more than a 30% chance of becoming the next attorney general. oh, wow. this is just a 12%. this is the type of odds when you really think that it would take a minor miracle a mini ha