
ARMY DAZE
Is the talk show host who reportedlyĀ once guzzled three gin-and-tonicsĀ for breakfastĀ ready to lead the worldās biggest military? Senate Democrats donāt think so ā and Pete Hegseth didnāt seem to change their minds this morning.
- Democrats have been freaking out ever since President-elect Donald Trump surprised everyone by choosing Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and former Army National Guard officer with no senior military experience, to be the next defense secretary. Hegseth has since been engulfed in scandal after scandal. But one took center stage for much of the hearing: His drinking problem.
- Hegsethās penchant for the sauce was a main focus of his confirmation hearing today, where Senate Democrats sprayed him with questions over reports that heādĀ shown upĀ to host a morning show smelling of alcohol,Ā drunkenly chantedĀ ākill all Muslimsā in a bar, and beenĀ kicked out of a club for dancing with strippersĀ on stage while wasted. (He denies all these allegations.) Hegseth onceĀ promised to not consumeĀ a ādrop of alcohol if confirmed.ā Today, he refused to say whether heād resign if he drinks on the job when asked by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI).
- āWe need a secretary of defense who’s not going to be drunk,ā Hirono toldĀ What A DayĀ via video chat shortly after the hearing. āAnd if he does drink, he should resign.ā The country needs to have a guy whoās on his game, she said ā implying the acceptable number of breakfast G&Tās for the Sec Def is exactly zero. āThings can happen. China can decide to invade Taiwan. There is a general acknowledgement that these are tough times, that we need to be alert.ā
- Look, we here atĀ What A DayĀ have no intention of being flippant about alcoholism. But itās entirely reasonable to raise these concerns when someone is applying to run the most powerful military in the history of the world.
Ā
For the rest of the hearing, Hegseth dodged key, basic questionsĀ āĀ including his views on potentially shooting American protestors and the use of military force for the conquest of Greenland or Panama.
- Hegseth touts himself as a fresh face (code for someone lacking applicable job experience) who could revamp the military, which he claims has beenĀ hamstringed by DEI policies⦠andĀ women being able to serve. But he refused to give meaningfully address important hypotheticals: whether heād authorize shooting protestors in the legs (an idea that TrumpĀ has floatedĀ in the past); use military force to assault Greenland or the Panama Canal; abide by the Geneva Conventions, a set of international agreements banning war crimes; or take a high-paying job in the defense industry after serving as defense secretary. Hegseth also apparently didnāt know which countries are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nationsā¦Ā naming three U.S. alliesĀ that arenāt in the political union. You canāt make this stuff up.
- āI draw the conclusion that thereās very little that he would do to counter anything that President Trump wants him to do,ā Hirono said, adding that she thinks heāll be confirmed. āI believe that all the Republicans will support him, that is my concern ⦠he will have control over 3 million people and have responsibility for a hugely complex department in a hugely complex world,ā she added. ā[Thereās] definitely nothing to indicate that he would be able to do the job of running a department as vast, as complicated as the Department of Defense.ā
- Hegsethās contentious hearing foreshadows what could come for Trumpās other contentious picks, like former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence), MAGA madman Kash Patel (FBI), and brain worm survivor Robert F. Kennedy Jr (health and human services), None of their hearings have been scheduled yet.
Hegsethās confirmation vote is now scheduled for January 20 āĀ as if Trumpās Inauguration Day werenāt already going to be chaotic enough. God help us.
Want more?
NEWS NEWS NEWS
Hamas accepted a draft proposal that would lead to a cease-fire in Gaza,Ā two officials told the Associated Press. The U.S. is hopeful itāll come together: āI believe we will get a ceasefire,ā U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today. āItās right on the brink. Itās closer than itās ever been before.ā
Special Counsel Jack Smithās report into Donald Trumpās allegedĀ election interference concludes that the president-elect wouldāve been criminally convicted at trial if he hadnāt won the 2024 election. Donāt mind us, weāre just staring wistfully out the window.
House Republicans passed a bill that would ban transgender athletesĀ from participating in womenās and girlsā sports at federally funded schools. The bill now goes to the GOP-controlled Senate for consideration. Last month, NCAA President Charlie Baker told Congress that of overĀ half a millionĀ college athletes in the U.S., fewer than ten are transgender.
A new brush fire broke out in Ventura County, CaliforniaĀ on Monday evening, as firefighters make progress with containing the three other fires that have ravaged the area. Strong winds are expected to persist through Wednesday.
Chinese officials have discussed selling TikTok to centibillionaireĀ conspiracy theorist Elon Musk, according to the Wall Street Journal. But ByteDance, TikTokās parent company, reportedly thinks the best path forward is to allow the app to be banned, retain ownership of it, and then negotiate again when Trump takes office. As a colleague in our semi-famous Crooked Slack put it, āThis is truly the worst timeline.ā
Speak of the devil, Musk recently criticized the sentencing of a neo-NaziĀ who was convicted of helping incite a deadly knife attack in England last year. Free speech sure is safe under this guy! (But, uh, are the rest of us???)
Former First Lady Michelle Obama wonāt attend Trumpās inaugurationĀ next week, which her husband plans to attend, according to People. She also skipped former President Jimmy Carterās funeral last week, in which she couldāve been seated near Trump. By the way, I happen to have a scheduling conflict for the entire second Trump term. Brb⦠in 2029.
Crookedās Jon Favreau spoke with Ken Martin, whoās running for chairĀ of the Democratic National Committee, onĀ Pod Save AmericaĀ today. āWeāre not going to invest in things that donāt help us win elections. No more contracts to just line consultantsā pockets. As Iāve said, Iām here to win the U.S. House back, not help a consultant build a new house,ā Martin said. Thatās a pretty persuasive motto, even if it sounds a bit scripted!
American employeesā enthusiasm for their jobs has droppedĀ to the lowest level in a decade, according to a new survey. Only 31 percent are engaged with their jobs, while 17 percent are actively disengaged. I, for one, am the most engaged and enthused worker of them all. Hear that, boss?Ā Yup, totally engaged!Ā Ā
Youāre no longer allowed to kick up your feet or use the bathroom in StarbucksĀ unless you buy a drink, according to a new policy implemented by the coffee giant. Violators will be asked to leave, and if they donāt law enforcement could be called, the policy states. One more nail in the coffin for Hanging Out.
What started as a study to improve the health of aging Navy dolphins resulted in the discovery of a critical nutrient, called C15:0, which has been used by nature for thousands of years to extend mammalian longevity.
C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid) is the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in over 90 years, and it supports both healthspan and lifespan by strengthening cell membranes against age-driving lipid peroxidation. In collaboration with the Navy, doctors spent a decade developing fatty15 as a pure, bioavailable, science-backed, patented, and award-winning C15:0 supplement that slows aging to meaningfully protect our long-term health, including metabolic, heart, and liver health.
While we canāt control chronological time, it is now well understood that we can slow our biological aging. Fatty15 contains pure and patented C15:0, an optimized nutrient essential to protecting our long-term health. Fatty15ās pure C15:0 ingredient is clinically proven to raise C15:0 levels, resulting in supported cholesterol, gut, liver and red blood cell health. 72% of customers report feeling or seeing benefits within 16 weeks.
Give your body a longevity boost with fatty15 by going toĀ fatty15.com/CROOKEDĀ for an additional 15% off.