Senate Democrats repeatedly berated Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of Defense, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. Despite being repeatedly badgered by critical Democrats, Hegseth has stood firm. Hegseth is the first of Trump's nominees to go through his confirmation hearing. Although Hegseth has drawn a fair amount of media attention leading up to Tuesday, Senate Democrats hammered the nominee's personal challenges and past "mistakes." 'Washington doesn’t build men like Pete. Combat builds men like Pete.'"I’m not a perfect person, but redemption is real," Hegseth said, addressing the various allegations made against him. "And God forged me in ways that I know I’m prepared for.”Democrats repeatedly brought up past, and often anonymous, allegations made against Hegseth's past conduct, including alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct. Hegseth has repeatedly denied these allegations, calling them "anonymous smears," and has pointed to the public support from hundreds of his past colleagues. Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma stood up to the Democrats' line of questioning that focused on these allegations, saying he has "had about enough of the liberal hypocrisy" against Hegseth. "How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night?" Mullin said. "... How many senators do you know have gotten a divorce for cheating on their wives?" Republican Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, similarly pushed back on the allegations made against Hegseth. "The majority of these come from anonymous sources in liberal media publications," Wicker said of the allegations. "Washington doesn’t build men like Pete," Wicker added. "Combat builds men like Pete."In addition to raising the anonymous allegations made against his past conduct, Democrats made a habit of repeatedly interrupting, talking over, and even protesting Hegseth's testimony.For instance, when Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) asked if he would "use our military to take over Greenland," she cut him off and misrepresented Hegseth's actual response. "I would never in this public forum give one way or another direct what orders the president gives me," Hegseth said. "That sounds to me that you basically want to invade Greenland," Hirono responded, cutting off Hegseth's answer. Hegseth's past comments made about women in combat roles have also been a focal point for Democrats during the hearing. Hegseth, who has objected to women serving in combat roles, said repeatedly during the hearing that the standards in the military ought to be stringent and merit-based, commending the impressive and capable women he has worked alongside in the past. "Should we believe you think the two women in this committee who served in the military made our military less capable?" Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire asked. "No, their contributions are indispensable," Hegseth said of the women who served in the military. "My comments are about having the same standards across the board."While Hegseth has spent much of his hearing on defense from Democrats, he has also faced hesitancy from Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. Ernst herself is a veteran and has spent much of her career advocating for women who have been sexually assaulted in the military. Her advocacy is reportedly one of the reasons she was unsure about Hegseth's nomination, given the allegations of sexual misconduct that have been made against him.Although she had initially lobbied against Hegseth, she has since seemed to warm up to the nominee. "You and I have had many productive conversations," Ernst said. "... We have had many frank conversations."Hegseth also committed to appointing a senior-level official in the Department of Defense, should he be confirmed, dedicated to sexual assault prevention in the military. Although he has faced pushback from the usual suspects, Republicans are operating with a comfortable Senate majority, leaving lawmakers and Trump allies confident that Hegseth will be confirmed.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

After five seasons that included three playoff appearances but still no Super Bowl shots, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced that the team would be parting ways with head coach Mike McCarthy. Jason Whitlock thinks Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders might just be perfect for the job. According to an inside source Jason knows, rumors are already swirling around Deion’s potential departure from the Buffaloes now that his two sons have finished their last season and are headed to the NFL. “Fearless” contributor Steve Kim is hoping Whitlock is right. He would love nothing more than to see Coach Prime wear the Dallas star. “If Jerry wants to get the regular, average, garden-variety coach,” Sanders probably isn’t the answer, he says. But if he wants someone “that's going to be fun and intriguing and a great storyline,” Sanders would fit the bill. “In fact, you know what? Make a trade up — trade Micah Parsons for a bunch of draft choices to get Shedeur,” he adds. “Shedeur doesn’t have that kind of leverage,” counters Jason, adding that “the only leverage Shedeur has … [is] Deion.” “It’s like LeBron with Bronny. No one was drafting Bronny other than the Lakers,” he says. “Deion would make it very crystal clear that … [Shedeur] is only going to show up to play in a Cowboys uniform.” “The Cowboys could take Shedeur, Deion would have his boy,” and the Cowboys “could try to move on from Dak Prescott,” he adds, noting that sports media critics, like Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith, will certainly be “campaigning for Deion to take over the Cowboys job.” It might even be a “smart move” for Deion. If he can “put up with Jerry” and be successful, eventually “he’d end up having more leverage than Jerry,” Jason speculates. “Maybe it’s a match made in heaven and hell.” To hear more of the conversation, watch the clip above. Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The Los Angeles fire chief recently admitted that over 100 pieces of firefighting equipment have been out of service during the wildfires that have ravaged California. The fire chief also revealed that the LAFD has been consistently pressing government officials for more resources for the last three years. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said in an interview with CNN, "We have over 100 fire apparatus out of service. Having these apparatus and the proper amount of mechanics would have helped. So it did absolutely negatively impact." 'I rang the bell that these additional cuts could be very, very devastating for our ability to provide public safety.'The Daily Mail reported that the LAFD had a total of 183 trucks that are "out of commission" during the wildfires, which the outlet claimed was "more than half of the city's fire trucks."In October, Crowley made a preliminary budget request for 2025-2026 that asked for $96,535,000 to fund a "fleet replacement plan."Crowley said in the budget request, "Many vehicles have surpassed their expected service life, leading to increased maintenance costs, reduced parts availability, and potential downtime."The LAFD requested more than $1.9 million to restore 16 maintenance positions that were "deleted" in last year's budget cuts. Crowley said in her recent CNN interview, "Let me be clear. The $17 million budget cuts and elimination of our civilian positions like our mechanics did and has and will continue to severely impact our ability to repair our apparatus."Los Angeles Fire Commission President Genethia Hudley Hayes said the LAFD doesn't have enough mechanics to fix the equipment.“Yes, I think the fire department is overwhelmed with what has happened,” Hudley Hayes said. “The cuts have to be taken into consideration in terms of their ability to respond to something like this.”Crowley told CNN’s Jake Tapper, "We can no longer sustain where we are. We do not have enough firefighters."Crowley added, "Over the last three years, we have been clear that the fire department needs help.""I rang the bell that these additional cuts could be very, very devastating for our ability to provide public safety," Crowley declared.In June, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) approved a city budget of almost $13 billion that included a $17.4 million cut to the LAFD's budget.At the time, Mayor Bass said in a statement that the city's new budget acted as a "reset." In November, Crowley wrote a memo to the city's fire commissioners to request more firefighters."In many ways, the current staffing, deployment model, and size of the LAFD have not changed since the 1960s," Crowley wrote. She added that the LAFD has experienced a 55% increase in emergency calls since 2010.The LAFD has over 3,500 uniformed firefighters and civilian support staff, who respond to 1,368 emergency incidents every day. In December, Crowley penned a memo to the fire commission that proclaimed the budget cuts had "adversely affected the department’s ability to maintain core operations, such as technology and communication infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention, and community education.”The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection stated that more than 40,000 acres were scorched by the wildfires, plus over 12,300 structures were destroyed. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner confirmed 24 deaths connected to the Palisades and Eaton fires.Authorities have yet to determine an official cause for any of the fires.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Democratic members of the Minnesota state House decided to start the new year with a game of hardball, taking their oaths of office in secret to keep Republicans from seizing the majority.As they did on a national scale, Minnesota Democrats — formally members of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, or DFL — fared poorly in November. House DFLers lost three seats in the election and another seat when a winner was declared ineligible because he did not live in the district.Until the special election for that district later this month, Republicans should have a 67-66 majority in the state House. They had already designated Lisa Demuth as speaker.However, DFLers sidestepped the GOP's chance at taking control by swearing in at a separate location outside the Capitol on Sunday, two days before the first legislative session. All but one DFLer was sworn in at the Minnesota History Center by Hennepin County Judge Kevin Burke.The House DFL's campaign committee paid to rent the room, a spokesperson for the center confirmed to CBS News.'This move is a slap in the face to the institution and to every voter who expects their elected officials to act in good faith.'In a caucus press release, the DFL members made plain their reasons for taking the oath early: "Democrats are prepared to deny the 68-member quorum required to conduct House business until successful power-sharing negotiations conclude with Republicans."DFLers believe that Republicans need 68 House members to make a quorum and plan to boycott the first few weeks of the session, at least until the special election, to prevent it from happening. Republicans, however, believe they need only 67 members. According to DFL state Rep. Melissa Hortman, Republicans also intend to continue as the majority party, even if the DFL candidate prevails in the special election and the parties are once again split 67-67."We know that a tie is likely coming in two weeks and yet, this morning, we heard from Lisa Demuth that she said that won’t matter; she’s going to be speaker for two years and exercise power as if they were in charge for two years," Hortman said.Hortman even hinted at possible violence, though Demuth denied the possibility and insisted her party was simply following the law."State law is clear: swearing in happens at noon on the day the legislature convenes; any attempt to subvert that is illegitimate," Demuth said.Demuth then slammed the DFL for playing "political games.""This move is a slap in the face to the institution and to every voter who expects their elected officials to act in good faith and uphold the integrity of the legislative process," she added. "Minnesotans sent us here to govern, not to play political games. I am calling on the Governor to call out this outrageous stunt and tell his party to do their jobs by showing up on Tuesday."Hortman, designated to be the DFL speaker, claimed her party attempted to find common ground with Republicans but that their colleagues across the aisle refused to budge. "Once they elect a speaker, they could fire our staff. They could kick us out of our offices. They could change the rules," Hortman said."When we got back to a tie," she continued, confident of a DFL victory in the special election, "any motion would fail on a tie, so we would never be able to undo anything they did with the temporary leadership. So that's why it's so important to us that there's an agreement that says, 'Hey, during that three weeks, you want to be in charge? Go ahead and be in charge.'"Secretary of State Steve Simon, a DFL, has agreed with his party that 68 is the necessary threshold for a quorum and said he will adjourn the session without it, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.The DFL House caucus has also ruffled the feathers of Republicans by swearing in a member whose electoral win is still in doubt. Rep. Brad Tabke won the race to represent Shakopee by just 14 votes total, prompting Republican candidate Aaron Paul to challenge his victory. Republicans also argued that 20 missing absentee ballots may have swayed the final result, and Paul called on the court to declare the seat vacant until a special election can be held. Tabke’s lawyer, David Zoll, argued that the court plays only an advisory role in the case and that swearing in Tabke was therefore appropriate.Dakota County Judge Tracy Perzel is presiding over the case but has yet to issue a ruling.Meanwhile, members of the Minnesota Senate have had a similar problem with balance of power but have managed to come to amicable terms.On December 27, DFL Sen. Kari Dziedzic passed away after a battle with ovarian cancer, leaving a vacant seat and the Senate split 33-33. The DFL and Republicans have reached an agreement to share power until a special election for the vacancy is held on January 28.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The president of a firefighters' union in Los Angeles said that incompetence among local leaders made the wildfire crisis far worse than it should have been. United Firefighters of Los Angeles County President Freddie Escobar made the comments to Breitbart News on Monday. 'The LAFD has been neglected by its leaders. ... We are woefully understaffed.' “I’ve been on the board [of the Los Angeles Fire Department] for 17 years, and for years now, for decades, the LAFD has been neglected by its leaders,” Escobar said. “They have not addressed a woefully understaffed fire department. We need 62 new stations; 100 more firefighters and medics, more engines, trucks, medics. We are woefully understaffed.”Southern California has been devastated by several wildfires that have killed more than 24 people and destroyed more than 13,000 homes and businesses. Critics have lambasted local lawmakers over various shortcomings in the emergency response. Escobar went on to confirm that personnel were not pre-deployed for the wildfires because the budget-strapped department did not want to pay the overtime costs. He said that L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley had made an “operating funds decision” to deny pre-deployment that could have saved lives and lessened the destruction from the fires. Escobar claimed fire officials decided the day before the fires “not to staff every single resource, which would give you additional manpower with the field on red-flag [high wind] days."Although he affirmed that the system of fire hydrants was not "meant" to be able to handle wildfires at the scale of the disaster, Escobar said the decision to keep empty the Santa Ynez Reservoir over Pacific Palisades contributed to the destruction. He also said that firefighters have been asked to deal with increasing calls regarding homeless issues while their budget decreases. “We cannot sustain what is going on, with the calls on the homeless, with the staffing we have today,” Escobar continued. Escobar, however, said that DEI policies were not a significant source of the problems at the fire department. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has called for an independent investigation into what led to water shortages at hydrants during the emergency response to the fires. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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