WHIP COUNTING
ITEM: Wall Street Journal names (some of) the senators with doubts about Hegseth (emphasis added):
In what was seen as a critical moment, Hegseth met Wednesday with Republican Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa), a military veteran whose stance is seen as essential to his Senate confirmation and who herself has been floated as a possible pick.
In a brief message on X after their meeting, Ernst said she appreciated Hegseth’s service to the country and said they had a “frank and thorough conversation.”
Ernst, who has worked to end sexual assault in the military, was seen as particularly interested in Hegseth’s views about female service members, as well as allegations about inappropriate behavior with women. Hegseth has said women shouldn’t serve in combat positions.
The transition was watching Ernst closely for signs of which way she was leaning. Five others are on the transition’s watchlist, a Senate aide and another person familiar with the matter said. Included are Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, Indiana’s Todd Young, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Maine’s Susan Collins and Utah Senator-elect John Curtis. The lawmakers have all said they would weigh the Pentagon pick’s credentials and background when they make their decision.
While transition officials were pleased that Ernst and other senators Hegseth met with on Wednesday haven’t come out against his nomination, they think he might not have done enough to save himself, said one person familiar with the discussions.
The hope was that Ernst “would come out and endorse Pete, and that didn’t happen,” the person said. “He had a triple today, but he really needed to hit a grand slam.”
ITEMS: Both the Washington Post and New York Times have investigative pieces in which they found some anonymous sources who raise questions about Hegseth’s past conduct – and some sources who don’t.
ITEM:
What that loudmouth will say on your morning Zoom: If these senators are opposed to Hegseth, I don’t understand why they haven’t said so in public.
What you should say on your morning Zoom: Mar-a-Lago has this list of names. Not even Mitch McConnell wants to gratuitously court MAGA wrath. Hegseth’s last, best hope is to convince these senators to not go public with opposition until he gets a chance to have his “Brett Kavanaugh moment” at a confirmation hearing. But I doubt Trump is really going to want to delay having a secretary of defense in place when many are telling him Hegseth is doomed.
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VETTING
ITEM: New York Times:
Mr. Trump has made clear to people close to him that he believes Mr. Hegseth should have been more forthcoming about the problems he would face getting confirmed, according to two people with knowledge of his thinking.
ITEM: Politico, with an interview with Hegseth’s lawyer:
Parlatore defended Hegseth’s communication with the Trump team.
“It’s not something that you would necessarily be expected to disclose,” the lawyer said. “‘Were you ever falsely accused of something that the police investigated and cleared you of?’ That’s not a question that comes up on any background check.”
ITEM:
What that loudmouth will say on your morning Zoom: I can’t figure out what the truth is here.
What you should say on your morning Zoom: Team Hegseth says they welcome the FBI background check. We shall see if it comes to that. And, OMG, the things Parlatore says! I wonder what his hourly rate is.
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RIVALING
ITEM: New York Times:
Mr. Trump has told people close to him that he likes the idea of giving Mr. DeSantis the job, saying it would be a “big story” if he resurrected Mr. DeSantis after defeating him. The president-elect has also praised Mr. DeSantis’s ability to run the state of Florida, where Mr. Trump lives, and has mentioned that he is “a Navy guy.”
Mr. Trump has privately mentioned Michael Waltz, the Florida congressman he picked as his national security adviser, as another option, pointing out that he would be easily confirmed by the Senate. But people close to Mr. Trump believe that Mr. DeSantis is his favored alternative at this moment if he decides to abandon Mr. Hegseth….
What that loudmouth will say on your morning Zoom: There’s no way Trump and Susie Wiles put that guy inside the tent.
What you should say on your morning Zoom: Central casting, the senate seat for Lara, and, in fact, a lot of folks who don’t even like DeSantis think he would be great as Pentagon chief. It’s Trump, so who knows – this could be Mitt Romney 2016 redux, without the Jean-Georges meal. But “big story” might be the tell.
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INTERVIEWING
ITEM:
What that loudmouth will say on your morning Zoom: I can’t understand why Trump would reward NBC with a plum interview after they did the drinking hit job on Hegseth.
What you should say on your morning Zoom: The longest running show on television with an interviewer Trump is confident he can handle and push back on, with all the attendant semiotics? It’s a no-brainer.
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NEGOTIATING
ITEM: Wall Street Journal:
Ukrainian officials are holding high-level talks with the incoming Trump administration, seeking to narrow wide differences on achieving a settlement of Kyiv’s war with Russia even before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
A top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Wednesday with Keith Kellogg, Trump’s choice as special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, and Mike Waltz, the incoming national-security adviser, according to a Trump transition official and several people familiar with the discussions.
Vice president-elect JD Vance joined in the discussions.
Kellogg has signaled support for the Biden administration’s efforts to rush weapons to Ukraine, saying it will give Trump leverage with Moscow in negotiating a settlement. But the Trump team has shown little interest in offering Ukraine membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which Zelensky has said he considers a vital security guarantee against future Russian aggression.
What that loudmouth will ask on your morning Zoom: What happened to only one president at a time?
What you should say on your morning Zoom: Team Trump is already full speed ahead on negotiations to end both of the Forever conflicts – in Ukraine and the Middle East. It isn’t a sure thing by any means that these talks will yield fast results, but you should not rule that out on either front. If the Art of the Deal concept still works in 2025, be braced for some extraordinary moments on both fronts.