Today is January 14th, and we are 6 days away from Trump’s inauguration. Today’s newsletter edition is writen by DML, Denny, and Ryan.

The 47 Report

Hegseth's Confirmation Hearing

Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing today before the Senate Armed Services Committee for the position of Secretary of Defense set off a firestorm of fury from sneaky protesters before he even finished his opening statement.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army National Guard officer, faced rigorous questioning from senators, but he also had to deal with raucous protesters a few times throughout his opening remarks. The first protester interrupted Hegseth's speech by shouting: ”You are a misogynist! Not only that, you are a Christian Zionist!”

The Capitol Police guards removed him, but it didn't end there. This was quickly followed by a second outburst from an erratic woman screaming about Gaza. She was also removed from the room, with Hegseth attempting to continue his opening statement when he was hit again with a third protester interruption.

Once Capitol Police handled all the outbursts, it was game on with Hegseth against the Senate Democrats. While most of his questioning with Republicans went smoothly, Hegseth went head-to-head with some of the big Democrats on the committee like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Tim Kaine and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (more on this in our Congress section).

ALSO…

Tulsi’s Delay: While Hegseth's hearing is now over and his fate waits with a vote of confirmation, Tulsi Gabbard (Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence) is facing a delay with her upcoming hearing.

According to the Senate Intelligence Committee, they have not received her FBI background check or ethics disclosures from the Office of Government Ethics. This is now raising concerns amongst Democrats about her qualifications if these vetting materials aren't provided, and there could be a postponement of the hearing until after Trump's inauguration.

Reactions

More On Trump

We will provide daily updates on President Trump's approval rating based on Rasmussen Polling. This index reflects the opinions of 1,500 likely voters regarding Trump's leadership as the 47th President.

External Revenue Service: Trump announced on Truth Social plans to establish the External Revenue Service, a new agency focused on collecting tariffs, duties, and revenues from foreign entities owing money to the U.S. He emphasized the need to end over-taxing Americans.

No Show Michelle: Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend Trump’s inauguration next week, following her absence from former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. The Obama family confirmed that former President Obama would be in attendance for the inauguration but did not explain Michelle Obama's absence. Speculation has begun to swirl around her reasoning.

Bitcoin Plan: After his inauguration, Trump plans to issue an executive order on cryptocurrency regulation, aiming to create a U.S. Bitcoin reserve, improve banking access for crypto companies, and establish a crypto advisory council. The order may include a $21 billion Bitcoin acquisition, as suggested by the Bitcoin Policy Institute, and address regulatory challenges faced by crypto firms. With big figures like David Sacks involved, the administration is signaling an intent to integrate cryptocurrencies into the mainstream financial system while reshaping oversight.

Media Mania

MSNBC President Rashida Jones is stepping down from the struggling cable news company, marking a change-up of leadership just before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Her departure comes amid industrywide challenges, with MSNBC ranking second in cable news ratings, trailing Fox News but slightly ahead of CNN. Jones' tenure is marred by her network's continued unfavorable coverage of Trump, particularly by their biggest hosts, such as Joe Scarborough and Rachel Maddow.

In November 2024, MSNBC experienced its sharpest decline in viewership following the U.S. presidential election. The network's primetime audience dropped by a whopping 55%, averaging 601,000 viewers, compared to 1.34 million before the election.

Vance

JD Vance is rallying support for Pete Hegseth following his long and contentious confirmation hearing today, explicitly calling out Democrats for some of their hypocrisy.

Vance tweeted the following during the confirmation hearing: I find this grandstanding from Senate Democrats over the Hegseth confirmation perplexing. We haven't won a war in three decades and we have a major recruitment challenge. Hegseth is assuredly NOT more of the same, and that's good!

Meanwhile, when Vance and his family move into the Naval Observatory residence on Jan. 20, it will be their first time inside the historic vice-presidential mansion. Vice President Kamala Harris has reportedly not offered a formal tour or meeting to the vice president-elect's family before move-in day. In November, Usha Vance sought childproofing information for their young children through intermediaries but was initially rebuffed by a Harris affiliate.

Congress

Senate Democrats Attack: During the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing for Pete Hegseth, leftist Democrats (particularly women) questioned his stances on women in combat roles and attempted to portray him as a womanizer and sexual assaulter. They pressed him with "gotcha" questions and hypothetical scenarios, criticizing him when he declined to engage in their increasingly hysterical rhetoric.

Hegseth faced vengeful hand wringing from senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Tammy Duckworth and Mazie Hirono, who all repeatedly cut him off from answering some of their questions and pestered him with outlandish hypothetical questions unrelated to the position of Secretary of Defense.

A golden moment came from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who tried to bait Hegseth into pledging never to serve in the defense contracting industry within 10 years after he serves as Secretary of Defense. She tried to sway Hegseth to make the pledge by citing U.S. generals who have entered the defense industry… even though Hegseth is not a general.

Warren: "You’re quite sure every General who serves should not go directly into the defense industry for 10 years, but you're not willing to make that same pledge?"

Hegseth: "I'm not a General, Senator."

Numerous Democrats came off as hostile and ideologically barb-wired to take down Hegseth at any cost. Tim Kaine attacked his marriages; Hirono tried to frame him as a drunk. At some point, a Republican senator told the Democrats to maybe hold up a mirror and face their own mistakes. Most of the Democrat attacks were ultimately futile and baseless, and only provided humorous social media clips to highlight how the leftists are the ones not to be taken seriously during these hearings.

Before You Go!

Don't forget to listen to our newest podcast episode: Future of American Leadership with Harlan Hill (1-14-25)

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Have a blessed day, and God Bless America!