Pete Hegseth’s drinking while working for Fox News was concerning, some former colleagues said. Impeachment efforts are underway for South Korea’s president after he declared martial law. And a new study shows how women benefit from even short bursts of activity.
Here’s what to know today.
Pete Hegseth’s drinking worried colleagues at Fox News, sources say
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, drank in ways that were concerning to his colleagues, according to 10 former and current Fox News employees. The revelations come as uncertainty grows about whether the Senate will confirm him.
The allegations include:
→ Two people saying that on more than a dozen occasions during Hegseth’s time as co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” they smelled alcohol on him before he went on air.
→ One current and two former Fox employees saying they felt like they needed to “babysit” Hegseth because of his drinking and late nights.
→ Three current employees saying Hegseth’s drinking remained a concern up until Trump announced him as his choice to run the Pentagon, at which point Hegseth left Fox.
None of the sources could recall an instance when Hegseth missed a scheduled appearance because he’d been drinking.
A Trump transition team spokesperson called the allegations “completely unfounded and false.”
The former colleagues’ descriptions of Hegseth’s behavior while he was employed at Fox News raise questions about his ability to carry out the round-the-clock duties involved in managing the Pentagon and its 3 million civilian and military employees. A secretary of defense is generally working at all hours and might need to respond to a crisis that arises suddenly at night or on a weekend.
Last weekend, The New Yorker detailed concerns about Hegseth’s drinking at two jobs he held at nonprofit veterans’ groups before he joined Fox. Hegseth was also the subject of a sexual assault investigation in California in 2017.
Hegseth’s Senate confirmation appears to be in peril as Republicans grow increasingly concerned about the allegations. As many as six Senate Republicans, perhaps more, are currently not comfortable supporting Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon, three GOP sources said. Given Republicans’ slim Senate majority in the next Congress, Hegseth can afford to lose only three GOP votes, assuming all Democrats vote against him.
Read more Trump transition and politics coverage:
- Chad Chronister, Trump’s selection to lead the DEA, has withdrawn from consideration, citing the “gravity” of the post and dedication to his ongoing work as sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida.
- None of Trump’s children will have roles in his next administration, according to sources familiar with the family dynamic. But they will remain influential in his orbit.
- Trump’s lawyers asked for his hush money case to be dismissed, citing President Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden.
- In his column this week, NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd calls Biden’s pardon “Shakespearean,” “tragic on so many levels” and “a huge mistake.” Read the full analysis here.
- Trump transition officials are exploring the possibility of building immigrant detention facilities on land owned by the state of Texas.
- Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director, promoted a supplement line earlier this year that purports to help people “detox” from Covid vaccines.
South Korean lawmakers move to impeach president
An effort is underway to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol after he shocked his nation by declaring martial law, only to lift the order hours later. Six opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party that controls the parliament, submitted articles of impeachment against Yoon today. The party will also start impeachment proceedings against the country’s defense minister and interior minister. Yoon’s chief of staff and all other senior presidential secretaries tendered their resignations, his office said.
Meanwhile, the leader of Yoon’s People Power Party, or PPP, said there are discussions about whether Yoon should leave the party.
The six-hour standoff began yesterday, when Yoon declared in a late-night TV address that he was declaring emergency martial law, accusing opposition parties of sympathizing with North Korea and controlling parliament. Less than three hours later, members of parliament passed a resolution demanding that Yoon lift his order. But by the early morning, Yoon went back on TV to announce the reversal. Read the latest on the fallout from Yoon’s short-lived declaration.
SCOTUS tackles state bans on treatments for transgender youth
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this morning in a case testing whether states can restrict gender transition care for minors. A challenge brought by the Biden administration, as well as transgender teens and their families, involves a Tennessee law that bars gender transition surgery, puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors. However, the 6-3 conservative majority court will only hear arguments puberty blockers and hormone therapy; a lower court judge said plaintiffs did not have legal standing to challenge the surgery ban.
The challengers argue that the Tennessee law is a form of sex discrimination and violates the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which requires equal treatment under the law. There are other circumstances in which non-transgender patients can be treated with puberty blockers and hormone therapy, the challengers say.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti argues that the law does not constitute sex discrimination and that it is merely a form of medical regulation that applies equally to everyone.
The case is the most significant so far of the court’s latest term.
U.S. officials’ warning amid unprecedented cyberattack
An unprecedented cyberattack on telecommunications companies such as AT&T and Verizon by China has not been fully remediated, U.S. officials said in an update yesterday, nearly two months after the hack was first reported. Instead, officials recommended that Americans use encrypted messaging apps to minimize the chances of foreign hackers intercepting their communications.
The FBI said hackers have been able to generally access three types of information: call records, live phone calls of specific targets and systems used in compliance with court orders to track people’s communications.
The scope of the hacking campaign is so significant, said one CIA official, that it’s “impossible” to have a timetable for declaring American telecommunications systems free of interlopers. Here’s what else to know.
Read All About It
- In a head-to-head clinical trial of two popular weight loss drugs, people who took Eli Lilly’s Zepbound lost more weight than those who took Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.
- The sister of Hannah Kobayashi said her family is “confused” and “frustrated” at the Los Angeles Police Department’s conclusion in the case of the missing 30-year-old.
- An Indian American man is speaking out about a woman’s racist harassment toward his family on a United Airlines bus.
- This has been the season of second (or third) chances for NFL quarterbacks. Just look at Bryce Young and Baker Mayfield.
Staff Pick: A few short bursts of daily activity goes a long way
If you’re looking to start a new exercise routine, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas may not be the best time. But the good news is that even short bursts of activity can have big benefits for your health. There’s a growing body of research showing that even a small amount of physical activity — think carrying the groceries inside or going up a flight of stairs — can add up, especially for people who don’t regularly exercise. The latest study finds women in particular can nearly halve their risk of major heart problems by adding just under 3.5 minutes of activity throughout the day. — Sara G. Miller, health editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
NBC Select’s 12 Days of Deals starts today! Each day, the team will drop a new, exclusive discount on your favorite brands and products — a virtual Advent calendar of sorts. Expect deals on self care items, pet accessories, bedding, kitchenware and more. You can check out today’s deal here and sign up for The Selection newsletter to get each day’s deal sent directly to your inbox. Happy shopping!
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