Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services committee Wednesday where he was grilled about his past behavior and qualifications. Hegseth acknowledged mistakes he’s made, which according to accounts include infidelity and excessive drinking. 

Pete Hegseth: “I’m not a perfect person, as has been acknowledged, saved by the grace of God, by Jesus and Jenny.” 

But he also said many of the accusations against him, which include sexual assault, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement of nonprofits are false smears. 

Pete Hegseth: “All they were out to do Mr. Chairman was to destroy me. And why did they want to destroy me? Because I’m a change agent and a threat to them because Donald Trump was willing to choose me, to empower me, to bring the Defense Department back to what it really should be, which is war fighting.” 

The hearing got extremely personal when Senator Tim Kaine brought up an incident that took place in 2017 in California. A woman accused him of raping her at a hotel during a work event, he said the encounter was consensual. He was never charged by the police but signed a non-disclosure agreement. 

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-VA: “You had just fathered a child two months before by a woman that was not your wife. I am shocked that would stand here and say you were completely cleared. Can you so casually cheat on a second wife, and cheat on the mother of a child that had been born two months before and you tell us you were completely cleared. How is that a complete clear?” 

Pete Hegseth: “Senator the child’s name is Gwendolyne Hope Hegseth and she’s a child of God and she’s seven years old.” 

Republicans came to Hegseth’s defense and painted him as a good man who has been redeemed. 

Sen. Markwayne Mullin R-OK: ““How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night? Have any of you guys asked them to resign from their job? And don’t tell me you’ve never seen it because I know you have. And then how many senators do you know have gotten divorced for cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to step down? 

Democrats went back on the attack though regarding Hegseth’s qualifications and his previous statements about women in combat. 

Sen. Kristin Gillibrand, D-NY: “You’ve said I don’t want women, I don’t want moms. What’s wrong with a mom, by the way? Once you have babies you therefore are no longer able to be lethal? You’re basically saying women after they have children can’t ever serve in the military in a combat role. It’s a silly thing to say.”

That was also an important issue for Republican Senator Joni Ernst, a veteran. 

Sen. Joni Ernst R-Iowa: “As Secretary of Defense will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles?”

Pete Hegseth: “Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles given the standards remain high.”

After the hearing, multiple Republicans came out to share their support for Hegseth. They expressed confidence that he’ll be confirmed.

[Karah Rucker]

LOS ANGELES MAYOR KAREN BASS.

THE HEAD OF CALIFORNIA’S WATER AND POWER DEPARTMENT “JANISSE QUINONES”.

AND CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM.

THESE ARE THE CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS CURRENTLY TAKING THE MOST BLAME FOR THE BLAZES’ MASS DESTRUCTION.

MAYOR KAREN BASS LEFT FOR A TRIP TO GHANA ON SATURDAY JANUARY FOURTH –

TWO DAYS PRIOR – THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STARTED SENDING WARNINGS OF “CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS” WITH “STRONG AND DAMAGING WINDS” –

AND A FIRE WEATHER WATCH WAS ISSUED. THE DANGER LEVEL CONTINUED TO BE UPGRADED UNTIL TUESDAY MORNING THE PALISADES FIRE BROKE OUT.

FIVE HOURS LATER – THE MAYOR WAS “EN ROUTE” FROM GHANA AND THEN BACK IN L-A WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON – ACCORDING THE MAYOR’S OFFICE.

BASS’ ABSENCE – PAIRED WITH RECENT BUDGET CUTS TO THE L-A FIRE DEPARTMENT TO THE TUNE OF 17 MILLION DOLLARS – HAVE LED TO HEADLINES LIKE THESE.

“Mayor Karen Bass faces fierce criticism for overseas trip, budget cuts”

“With her city in flames, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ political future hangs in the balance”

“125K sign petition demanding Karen Bass resign over fire response”

SOME OF THE CRITICISM HAS COME FROM WITHIN THE L-A FIRE DEPARTMENT –

INCLUDING THE CHIEF HERSELF –

AND THE OWNER OF  THE “LOS ANGELES TIMES” SAYING THEIR PRIOR ENDORSEMENT OF BASS AS MAYOR “WAS A MISTAKE.”

“Did the city of los angeles fail you and our city?? Its my job as a chief to stand up and say what our dept needs to meet the demands of the community. 

 did they fail you? Yes.”

“At the la times, we endorsed karen bass.ithink right now up front that was a mistake and we admit that.”

“Maybe we should think about how we elect people.”

ONE OF THE GREATEST HINDRANCES FOR FIREFIGHTERS IN THE FIELD –

IS A LACK OF WATER – HOOKING UP TO FIRE HYDRANTS AS BUILDINGS WERE ABLAZE –

TO FIND LITTLE TO NO WATER PRESSURE.

A PROBLEM THE FIRE CHIEF CONFIRMED HER CREWS KEPT RUNNING INTO. 

EMPTY HYDRANTS.

THREE “ONE MILLION GALLON” WATER TANKS BROUGHT IN – ALSO RAN DRY AFTER 17 HOURS.

AND A NEARBY WATER RESERVOIR THAT HOLDS 117 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER NEAR THE FIRE ZONE – HAD SAT EMPTY FOR NEARLY A YEAR BEFORE THE FIRE BROKE OUT.

THE L-A WATER DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THAT RESERVOIR IS USED “FOR FIRE FIGHTING PURPOSES” BUT WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE LAST FEBRUARY “TO MEET SAFE DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS.”

NOW THE STATE IS INVESTIGATING SHORTFALLS OF THE DEPARTMENT.

SITTING AT THE HEAD IS L-A WATER CHIEF JANISSE QUINONES –

WHO IS NOW RECEIVING CRITICISM IN HEADLINES OVER THE CITY’S WATER WOES –

HER SALARY THAT IS DOUBLE THAT OF HER PREDECESSOR – AND PREVIOUS REMARKS SHE MADE ON A PODCAST ABOUT PRIORITIZING EQUITY IN THE CITY’S WATER DEPARTMENT.

A REPORT READ “LA WATER CHIEF **KNEW about empty reservoir, broken hydrants months before fires

ANOTHER HEADLINE HIGHLIGHTING HER 750 THOUSAND DOLLAR ANNUAL SALARY.

AND FOX NEWS: “FLASHBACK: LA WATER CHIEF SAYS HER WORK IS GUIDED THROUGH ‘EQUITY LENS’ –

WITH THIS PODCAST CLIP ATTACHED TO THE ARTICLE.

“Its been really important for the dwp to put an equity lens on everything. Yes, and that’s the number one thing that attracted me to this role. Its important to me that everything we do is through equity lens and social justice and we right the wrongs of the past.  

GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM HAS BEEN ON THE GROUND IN L-A’S FIRE ZONES –

POSTING VIDEO UPDATES ON X OF RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL FIGHTING SOME OF THE STATES MOST DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRES EVER RECORDED.

BUT WITH HIM BEING AT THE HELM OF LEADERSHIP IN THE STATE –

QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED AT NEWSOM –

TELLING THE PODCAST “POD SAVE AMERICA” HE’S BEEN TRYING TO GET ANSWERS HIMSELF. AND HAS LAUNCHED A STATE INVESTIGATION.

“You’re ultimately responsible as the governor of the state.”

“Of course, i want to know the answers. I’ve got that question by so many people. “What happened?” people on my own team, saying what happened and i want to get the answers and wasn’t getting i’ll be candid, i wasn’t getting straight answers….and you weren’t getting straight answers? I was getting different answers.”

NEWSOM’S APPEARANCE ON THE PODCAST AND THAT ANSWER – SPARKED THESE HEADLINES.

“Newsom Ripped for Going on ‘Pod Save America’ While L.A. Burns”

“California Gov. Gavin Newsom passes off wildfire response blame to local leaders, own team”

“California Governor Newsom deflects blame”

THE HANDFUL OF NEWS HEADLINES WE’VE SHOWN YOU OVER CRITICISM OF THE LA MAYOR, LA WATER CHIEF, AND CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR WERE A MIX OF LEFT AND RIGHT LEANING NEWS OUTLETS.

THE STORY IS GETTING WIDE COVERAGE NO MATTER POLITICAL LEANINGS –

BUT ITS THE WAY THE CRITICISM IS FRAMED FROM WITHIN SOME LEFT AND RIGHT LEANING ARTICLES THAT FITS A POLITICAL BIAS.

RIGHT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS ARE LEANING INTO fire response FAILURES AS DEMOCRATIC FAILURES.

WHILE LEFT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS SAY THE CRITICISM IS BEING FUELED BY RIGHT-WING FIGURES – LIKE PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP.

THE WASHINGTON POST – A LEFT-LEANING OUTLET –

WROTE – “As California continues to battle catastrophic wildfires consuming entire neighborhoods and taking lives, state and local officials are also fending off President-elect Donald Trump and his allies’ efforts to blame them for the destruction.

Instead of offering words of sympathy or pledges of rebuilding, Trump, his billionaire ally Elon Musk and top Republicans have spent much of the past several days blaming Democratic leadership in the state for the crisis.”

IN CONTRAST – FOX NEWS – A NEWS OUTLET ON THE RIGHT –

FOCUSED ON STATE POLICIES.

“Democratic lawmakers are claiming the severity of the Los Angeles wildfires was a result of climate change, despite reports that the city’s fire hydrants ran out of water and the fire department’s budget was slashed just weeks before the Palisades fire destroyed thousands of homes and burned more than 15,000 acres.

As the fires gained national attention, Democratic lawmakers across the country began to claim it was climate change rather than state policies that caused the disastrous fire damage.

LEFT-LEANING CNN – FOCUSED AGAIN ON TRUMP.

Walls of fire devoured neighborhoods, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee for their lives. But as a cataclysm fueled by windstorms charred swathes of Los Angeles, Donald Trump spotted an opportunity…The conceit of a state and city inflicting self-defeating environmental policies is a perfect fit for Trump’s narrative that liberal governance in blue states and cities invites chaos, crime and misery.

AND THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER – A RIGHT LEANING OUTLET – FOCUSED AGAIN ON CALIFORNIA POLICY.

“Critics said state policies about brush and debris removal fed the fires and argued Newsom ignored years of warnings to change course and avoid the latest disaster. Some furious Californians also said Newsom’s water policy left firefighters without the tools they needed to stop the crisis.”

THE NARRATIVE MATCHES THE RHETORIC OFFERED BY NEWSOM AND FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS –

NEWSOM, SAYING TRUMP IS politicizing THE WILDFIRES.

AND DESANTIS – ANSWERING A QUESTION AT A PRESS EVENT – SAYING DEMOCRATIC POLICIES ARE BEING OVERLOOKED BY THE MEDIA.

“I hate to even ask this question, BUT PRESIDENT elect chose to attack and blame you for this.

“One can’t even respond to it…people are literally fleeing, people have lost their lives.

“This guy wanted to poltiicize it. I have a lot of thoughts and i know what i want to say. I wont.”

“Is it appropriate for a president elect or president to be criticizing…”

“Is it appropriate for people in your industry to try to create division and narratives anytime these things happen? No, you’re not interested in doing that because newsom is a D. if newsom was a republican, you guys would nail him to the wall for what they’re doing over there. <3:21- you guys sitting in judgment of donald trump? Excuse me, your track record of politicizing these things is very very bad.”

IN CONCLUSION.

YOU HAVE THE FACTS OF THE STORY –

THAT BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT OUTLETS ARE REPORTING.

FROM A POORLY TIMED TRIP TO GHANA BY THE MAYOR.

FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET CUTS AND A LACK OF WATER RESOURCES.

BUT ITS THE BIG PICTURE “BLAME GAME” THAT IS BEING POLITICIZED –

NOT JUST BY REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC POLITICIANS –

BUT BY LEFT AND RIGHT NEWS OUTLETS.

RIGHT NEWS OUTLETS CRITICIZING LEFT POLICIES AS THE ROOT OF THE WILDFIRES.

AND NEWS OUTLETS ON THE LEFT CALLING THE CRITICISM “ATTACKS” FROM TRUMP AND ALLIES.

AND THAT’S YOUR BIAS BREAKDOWN.

The House passed a bill barring schools that receive federal funds from allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports. The final vote fell largely along party lines, Republicans voted for it unanimously, all but three Democrats voted against it. 

Rep. Riley Moore, R-WV: “As a father of two daughters, I can tell you very clearly that there is no scenario or situation where I would want to see my daughters competing against biological males.”

Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif.,  “This bill is sloppy, vague and prejudiced,” 

The legislation is officially called the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. It would make it a violation of Title IX for sports programs to permit a male to participate in an athletic activity that is designated for females. It states sex is recognized solely on the person’s reproductive biology at birth. 

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-MN: “What should be an opportunity for young women to thrive and compete has been clouded by an agenda that prioritized so-called inclusion over fairness.” 

Democrats oppose the bill for many reasons, but one of their biggest concerns is that it does not distinguish programs based on age or competition level. They contend it could apply to young girls playing in kids leagues the same as it does to NCAA athletes, so long as the program receives federal funding. The bill’s exact language is, “participation with any athletic team”.  

Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt.: “This is interrogation of young girls about their bodies, this is asking people to show them what is underneath their underwear. It’s vile, it’s twisted, they don’t want to talk about the details. It’s an absolute invasion of children’s privacy.” 

The House approved the bill last year but it was never considered in the Senate. It’s unclear if it could get 60 votes in that chamber, even with the new Republican majority. 

[Simone Del Rosario]

THE SECOND MOST VALUABLE COMPANY IN THE WORLD IS TAKING AIM AT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, PRAISING PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP. NVIDIA’S CRITICISM IS IN RESPONSE TO BIDEN’S LAST MINUTE EXPORT CONTROLS ON A-I CHIPS.

NVIDIA’S VICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, NED FINKLE, CALLED THE NEW RULES “MISGUIDED” AND “SWEEPING OVERREACH” IN A BLOG POST MONDAY … 

HE WROTE, “IN ITS LAST DAYS IN OFFICE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SEEKS TO UNDERMINE AMERICA’S LEADERSHIP WITH A 200 PLUS PAGE REGULATORY MORASS, DRAFTED IN SECRET AND WITHOUT PROPER LEGISLATIVE REVIEW.”

BIDEN’S POLICY CHANGES WOULD STEER SALES TO ALLIES WHILE CURBING ACCESS TO COUNTRIES WHERE THERE ARE NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS, LIKE CHINA. THAT’S ANOTHER BLOW TO NVIDIA … WHICH SELLS ITS PRODUCTS TO CHINESE COMPANIES.

NVIDIA’S CHINA REVENUE HAS ALREADY TAKEN A HIT OVER PAST RESTRICTIONS. IT WENT FROM AROUND A QUARTER OF TOTAL REVENUE TO 10-15% IN RECENT YEARS. 

FINKLE’S BLOG POST GOES ON TO APPLAUD TRUMP, SAYING HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION SHOWED “AMERICA WINS THROUGH INNOVATION, NOT BY RETREATING BEHIND A WALL OF GOVERNMENT OVERREACH.”

FINKLE SAYS, “WE LOOK FORWARD TO A RETURN TO POLICIES THAT STRENGTHEN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP, BOLSTER OUR ECONOMY AND PRESERVE OUR COMPETITIVE EDGE IN AI AND BEYOND.” 

THE STANCE IS A DEPARTURE FROM NVIDIA’S APPROACH DURING THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. THE COMPANY AND ITS C-E-O JENSEN HUANG STAYED QUIET ON POLITICS AND DID NOT MAKE AN ENDORSEMENT. 

THIS LATEST POLICY RULE FROM BIDEN INCLUDES A 120-DAY COMMENT PERIOD, LEAVING TRUMP’S INCOMING ADMINISTRATION IN CHARGE OF SEEING IT THROUGH. BUT ARE THESE TWO THAT FAR APART? IN HIS FIRST TERM, TRUMP’S TEAM DID RESTRICT CHINESE COMPANIES FROM GETTING THEIR HANDS ON THE BEST U-S SEMICONDUCTOR TECH. 

FOR SAN – I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO … FOR ALL YOUR LATEST NEWS HEADLINES – DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY