Connect with us

Daily Caller

Hegseth Confirmed As Secretary of Defense After Chaotic Process

Published

3 minute read

 

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Wallace White

Pete Hegseth was confirmed Friday as the 29th secretary of Defense after a contentious Senate confirmation process.

The vote was split down party lines, with 50 votes for and 50 votes against and Vice President JD Vance set to break the tie, according to the unofficial tally. Hegseth will oversee the U.S. armed forces’ domestic and foreign activities as its civilian head.

“Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation,” Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who was rumored to have defected with his vote, said on X Friday. “I will support his confirmation and look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and advance President Trump’s peace through strength agenda.”

Republican defections included Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins.

Hegseth’s confirmation hearing was tense, as his allegations of sexual assault and past comments on women’s role in the military drew harsh attacks from Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Despite the attacks, he drew praise from his Republican colleagues for his performance.

He was also accused of abusing alcohol at work at Fox News and multiple instances of marital infidelity, drawing more character criticisms from the Democrats.

Hegseth was previously a host on Fox and Friends before accepting the nomination. He also previously served as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to his website.

Numerous veterans and military colleagues who have served alongside Hegseth endorsed his nomination.

Hegseth is a chief advocate for removing so-called “wokeness” from the military, calling it unnecessary and saying it causes a disconnect between the rank and file and senior leadership. Many military experts have blamed left-wing initiatives for the current recruitment crisis in the armed forces.

He also supports leveling standards for men and women for certain roles, saying in the hearing that the standards “need to be the same, and they need to be high.” The Army lowered its fitness test standards for women and older members in 2022 after a study found that young men were passing the six-event fitness test at a significantly higher rate than women and older soldiers.

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Todayville is a digital media and technology company. We profile unique stories and events in our community. Register and promote your community event for free.

Follow Author

conflict

‘They Don’t Know What The F*ck They’re Doing’: Trump Unloads On Iran, Israel

Published on

 

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Harold Hutchison

President Donald Trump expressed frustration Tuesday after Iran broke a ceasefire, prompting retaliation from Israel during a gaggle with reporters on the White House lawn.

Trump announced the ceasefire Monday, saying it was supposed to take effect at 1 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, but Iran fired missiles at Israel Tuesday. Trump vented, saying the countries had been “fighting so long” they couldn’t make peace.

WATCH:

“You know, when I say okay, now you have 12 hours, you don’t go out in the first hour just drop everything you have on them,” Trump said. “So I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either. But I’m really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning because the one rocket that didn’t land, that was shot, perhaps by mistake, that didn’t land, I’m not happy about that.”

“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard, that they don’t know what the fuck they are doing,” Trump added.

The United States struck facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan related to Iran’s effort to develop nuclear weapons early Sunday morning local time, using as many as 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators in the operation, which involved a 37-hour flight by seven B-2A Spirit bombers.

The American strikes came ten days after Israel launched a military operation targeting the Iranian nuclear program. Iran has responded with repeated missile attacks on Israeli cities and a refusal to resume negotiations over its efforts to pursue nuclear weapons.

Continue Reading

Automotive

Supreme Court Delivers Blow To California EV Mandates

Published on

 

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Katelynn Richardson

“The Supreme Court put to rest any question about whether fuel manufacturers have a right to challenge unlawful electric vehicle mandates”

The Supreme Court sided Friday with oil companies seeking to challenge California’s electric vehicle regulations.

In a 7-2 ruling, the court allowed energy producers to continue their lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to approve California regulations that require manufacturing more electric vehicles.

“The government generally may not target a business or industry through stringent and allegedly unlawful regulation, and then evade the resulting lawsuits by claiming that the targets of its regulation should be locked out of court as unaffected bystanders,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the majority opinion. “In light of this Court’s precedents and the evidence before the Court of Appeals, the fuel producers established Article III standing to challenge EPA’s approval of the California regulations.”

Kavanaugh noted that “EPA has repeatedly altered its legal position on whether the Clean Air Act authorizes California regulations targeting greenhouse-gas emissions from new motor vehicles” between Presidential administrations.

“This case involves California’s 2012 request for EPA approval of new California regulations,” he wrote. “As relevant here, those regulations generally require automakers (i) to limit average greenhouse-gas emissions across their fleets of new motor vehicles sold in the State and (ii) to manufacture a certain percentage of electric vehicles as part of their vehicle fleets.”

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals previously rejected the challenge, finding the producers lacked standing to sue.

“The Supreme Court put to rest any question about whether fuel manufacturers have a right to challenge unlawful electric vehicle mandates,” American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President and CEO Chet Thompson said in a statement.

“California’s EV mandates are unlawful and bad for our country,” he said. “Congress did not give California special authority to regulate greenhouse gases, mandate electric vehicles or ban new gas car sales—all of which the state has attempted to do through its intentional misreading of statute.”

Continue Reading

Trending

X