. >> reporter: when uc berkeley professor and nuclear engineer kei vetter heard about the radiation, he wasn't surprised. he says radioactivity is common. >> wherever we go in our world we will find radioactivity. all objects in our world are to some degree radioactive. >> reporter: vetter believes albany bulb has experienced similar levels of radiation since it was created, but even in the areas with the highest levels it's not uncommonly high. >> for example, if you go to denver, denver in colorado, you find about the same level of radioactivity as you find at the highest point in albany. >> reporter: vetter says based on the radiation levels reported at the park, there are no detrimental health effects. >> there were, people should continue to enjoy albany bulb. >> reporter: in a statement from the city of albany, they say they don't have enough information to reach specific conclusions on the public health risk. there will be another round of investigation that will include soil sampling and shallow subsurface measurements. valdez is still cautious and wants to hear more about th

but that vetters re-e legged him to the white house instead. >>> the developing headline at this hour. the american hostages, and will there be a cease-fire between israel and hamas, and is it close? ian pannell and what he's learning right now. >>> back here in the u.s., that outburst in court with caitlin clark's alleged stalker. what he's accused of doing. >>> princess catherine's new message about her cancer battle, declaring she's in remission. the first time she has used that word. >>> and america strong tonight. the firefighters and what they have found buried in the ash. there were tears, and this is really something. >>> good evening. we do begin tonight with two breaking stories. the tense moments on capitol hill. president-elect donald trump's pick for defense secretary grills. >>> but we begin with 12 million people in southern california on high alert right now, an extreme fire risk. winds up to 70 miles per hour. expected to start right in the middle of the night through tomorrow. already overnight, a new fire breaking out in ventura, prompting evacuations. firefighters

behavior is connected directly to an individual who in many cases, i believe, was not interviewed by the vetters and the individuals named in the documents we've received even include his own mother, who wrote him a an extremely painful and blunt letter when he was undergoing a second divorce, calling him a serial abuser of women. and the facts just line up one after the next, whether it's what his colleagues work colleagues in three organizations have said about him, what he has written or said about women in his own books and writings. in the circumstances of his two divorces, in the circumstances of the criminal allegation against him, which did not lead to a criminal conviction, but it did lead to a settlement and a payment and a nondisclosure agreement. there is real investigation that needs to be done by someone here, but even on a paltry record that is largely notable for what it omits rather than what it includes, the facts are extremely troubling about the character of this individual. >> senator tim kaine, you may not have the answers under oath, but you at least are asking the questio

his past, women in his life, have wanted to be interviewed, but have not been interviewed by the vetters. >> for a change. now, it's important to keep in mind that pete hegseth can get through without a single democratic vote that includes a single democratic vote on the committee. it's really those key republicans that we're going to have to keep an eye out for to determine whether or not hegseth is going to have the votes to get this job, his performance today. a lot is at stake, john. >> a lot is at stake. though his prospects seem to be radically different than they were a few weeks ago, when confirmation seemed unlikely. now it might just be the reverse. lauren fox on capitol hill in the room where it will happen. thank you very much, sarah. all right. >> ahead. breaking news out of california. firefighters bracing for new rounds of powerful winds as a brand new fire erupts in another california county. we are live on the scene of the devastation. and israel saying it is ready for a cease fire. we will go there, live where? any moment we're watching for an update on a possible agree

his past, women in his life, have wanted to be interviewed, but have not been interviewed by the vetters i am deeply concerned that there are facts that so far have been hidden from this committee. what are they hiding? that they won't give us this kind of information? >> all right. joining us now, senior adviser to donald trump, jason miller. jason, good to have you back on the show. thanks for being here. let's start briefly on pete hegseth. but i also want to talk to you about the special counsel news and some other things today for pete hegseth nomination. is there something to hide in the fbi report that senate democrats on the committee shouldn't see this report not at all. >> and in fact, that's why both the chairman of the senate armed services committee and the ranking member have had the opportunity to review that file. that is the historical norm for the chairman and the ranking member to take a look at that. i don't know why democrats want to go and try to change the rules all of a sudden, just because it's one of president trump's nominees. but i would have to say, chairman

his past, women in his life, have wanted to be interviewed, but have not been interviewed by the vetters. >> the transition team has slow walked and stonewalled us, but we do know that there are significant gaps in that background check. it's incomplete and so far as we know, inadequate. >> and i am deeply concerned that there are facts that so far have been hidden from this committee. >> what are they hiding that they won't give us this kind of information? >> meanwhile, the new york times reports that investigators reached out to pete hegseth second ex-wife, samantha hegseth. >> the couple were married from 2010 until 2018, and according to the times, fbi investigators had an initial initial perfunctory conversation with her on january 8th, according to people familiar with the apprized or apprized of the report. >> mr. hegseth then made multiple attempts to contact the bureau for a more substantive discussion, but her calls were not returned last week, said those with knowledge of the investigation, who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. let's bring in the host of wa

and then fill in out and they will pick it up again to give it to our vetters. the panelists are joe shaw, executive editor of the press newsgroup a which publishes the southhampton press, the east hampton press, and 27.com. and going and burke, sitting next to joe, copresident of the leak. they will be asked -- the league . they will be asked questions from the press group and from you, the audience, and the students. i remind the questioners that we like the questions to be identified as having come from the audience were students when that is the case. and, students, please let us know what issues are important to you by submitting questions and noting on the card that the question came from the student. we also have chair of the government committee of the league, estelle gelman, and copresident judy samuelson, who will review the questions you will be writing on the index cards. the purpose of the review is not to censor or to stifle any voice. this is done to identify those issues which are most important to the audience while avoiding duplication. it also

in his past, women in his life, have wanted to be interviewed but have not been interviewed by the vetters. >> i believe that there are gaps in this investigation, in the failure to interview significant sources of information, including possibly his former spouses and the victim or survivor of the alleged rape and we have no way to verify whether those gaps exist because we have been barred from seeing the report. >> there are so many questions that are disturbing about this nominee. we hope tomorrow he is not evasive and he answers the questions fully and directly, not evade them. >> but to get confirmed. those democrats are not necessary. in fact, they can all vote against him and he can still get the job simply because he needs a simple majority in the senate means all republicans except for three is enough for him to get the job today. watch for joni ernst. she's the republican on the armed services committee. someone to watch. she has not said how she will vote, but is considered a swing vote of sorts. how does she respond to his answers? a big question today. >> yeah. thank you manu