Politics

Hegseth says he won’t withdraw as he struggles as Trump’s Defense pick

Published

2 years ago

December 5, 2024

Pete Hegseth spent this week attempting to woo senators — and others — as he fought to remain Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of Defense. He met with wary and supportive lawmakers, his lawyer tried to shoot down misconduct allegations and even his mother went on Fox to defend her son.

But his meetings with lawmakers Thursday were in many ways overshadowed by Sen. Joni Ernst, the Iowa Republican still expressing doubts over Hegseth’s nomination, and larger questions about his suitability to lead the nation’s armed forces.

Ernst has emerged as one of the key Republicans who could help sink his looming nomination. As Hegseth was in the first meeting of the day on Thursday, a Fox reporter told Ernst it sounded like she was not fully on board with supporting Hegseth.

“I think you are right,” she responded.

Ernst met with Hegseth on Wednesday in her Senate office. The next day, she said she had no plans to meet with him the rest of the week. Hegseth on Thursday instead met with some of the remaining Republicans on the Senate Armed Services committee, who are mostly Trump allies and appeared supportive of his Cabinet picks: Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). Hegseth also met with Sen.-elect Jim Banks (R-Ind.).

“I really do see a path forward for him to be successful in being accepted by the Senate for this position, but he’s got more work to do,” Rounds said after his meeting with Hegseth. Rounds previously expressed concerns about former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first pick for attorney general, before he withdrew.

But without Ernst, who serves on the Armed Services Committee and is a veteran and sexual assault survivor, along with other skeptical Republicans like Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, Hegseth’s confirmation appears in jeopardy.

The veteran and former Fox News personality left the Capitol telling reporters he answers to only Trump, God, his family and the 100 senators voting on his confirmation, not the media.

And he reaffirmed that he is not dropping out: “As long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I’m going to be standing right here in this fight,” he said to reporters on Thursday afternoon.

Hegseth defended himself against a slew of allegations. In 2017, he was investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman but was never formally charged. He later paid the woman an undisclosed sum to stay quiet about the incident, which he claimed was consensual. A recent story in The New Yorker reported he stepped down from two nonprofits “in the face of serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.”

And NBC News reported that colleagues at Fox News were concerned that he had a drinking problem.

Trump’s transition team had previously denied that Hegseth had a drinking problem, but he also said he wouldn’t drink alcohol if confirmed.

On Thursday, Hegseth said he had changed and added that God, his family and his wife, who accompanied him to the Senate on Thursday, helped get him get back on track.

“I’m a different man than I was years ago, and that’s a redemption story that I think a lot of Americans appreciate, and I know from fellow vets that I’ve spent time with, they resonate with that as well,” Hegseth said in response to the allegations. “You fight, you go do tough things in tough places on behalf of your country, and sometimes that changes you a little bit.”

Politics

FIFA does pregame land acknowledgment

Published

13 minutes ago

June 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

INGLEWOOD, California — FIFA paid tribute to California’s Native American tribes as part of the pregame festivities ahead of Friday’s match at SoFi Stadium, the tournament’s first in the United States.

So-called native land acknowledgments have become common in North America, especially on the West Coast of the United States and across Canada, but have faced criticism and ridicule as the “latest woke ritual,” as one Wall Street Journal commentary put it.

The prerecorded video that played as the stadium filled up with U.S. and Paraguay fans acknowledged the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians, among others, as “the original inhabitants of Los Angeles County.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s campaign-style efforts to win support from local political officials across the United States last year included visits with tribal leaders, POLITICO reported at the time.

Politics

Canada defends blocking Ghana’s Thomas Partey from entry

Published

43 minutes ago

June 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

OTTAWA — The Canadian government defended its decision to ban Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey from entering the country as necessary for “maintaining the safety and security of Canadians.”

Partey has been charged with sexual assault and rape in the United Kingdom but has not been convicted of anything. He has pleaded guilty and is expected to stand trial in 2027.

“Under Canadian law, foreign nationals can be found inadmissible without a foreign conviction,” Matthew Krupovich of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told POLITCO in a written statement. “When there are reasonable grounds to believe an act that would trigger inadmissibility has been committed by an applicant, they can be deemed inadmissible to Canada.”

Ghana will play its opening World Cup match against Panama next Wednesday in Toronto. Partey entered the United States with Ghana’s team last week and has been present at the team’s training camp in Rhode Island. Ghana’s other two matches are scheduled to take place in the United States.

“Canada is proud to be a host country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is working to facilitate a successful event while maintaining the safety and security of Canadians,” said Krupovich. “Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada’s immigration laws.”