On Politics

Mon Jan 13 2025

Rebecca Morin | Senior National News Reporter

@RebeccaMorin_

Hello! It's Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. Not going to lie, all I can think about today is Bad Bunny's Puerto Rico concert residency announcement.

Pete Hegseth faces 'big issues of character' at make-or-break Senate hearing

Are you ready to meet some of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet this week? Hearings to confirm Trump's pick to his administration begin on Tuesday. First up? Combat veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth – Trump's pick to lead the Department of Defense. Hegseth, considered one of the most vulnerable of Trump's cabinet nominees, was accused of sexual assault over a 2017 encounter he said was consensual and has been dogged by allegations of alcohol abuse. Hegseth denied both allegations. Read more.

•	Who are Trump's latest administration picks? What to know about key aides.
•	USA TODAY in November obtained the California police release on the details of Hegseth sexual assault report
•	More on how alcohol and antipathy cloud Hegseth sex assault allegations with conflicting accounts

Another key thing about Hegseth: his faith. Hegseth is a member of a theologically conservative, hard-right church coalition that is associated with a denomination called the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). For this group, Hegseth's prospective appointment represents an early return on investment in its yearslong aspiration to create a theocratic state in which traditionalist Christian men lead the military and other essential government institutions. Read more.

A snowy replica

A tourist takes a photo of a U.S. Capitol snow sculpture with the actual Capitol in the background on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on Monday.

Kevin Lamarque, REUTERS

A politics pit stop

•	JD Vance says people who committed violence at the Capitol riot 'obviously' shouldn't be pardoned
•	After nixed trip to Vatican City, Biden awards Pope Francis the highest U.S. civilian honor
•	New Biden rule keeps top AI chips from China and Russia
•	Mike Pence says he congratulated Trump at Carter's funeral service
•	Supreme Court allows state and local climate suits against oil companies to proceed

Zelenskyy says Ukraine will send firefighters to California after Trump Jr. jab

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he may send Ukrainian firefighters to help battle the blazes raging in California. His comments come after Donald Trump Jr. dragged the Los Angeles County Fire Department for donating some supplies to Ukraine's defense. Zelenskyy said 150 Ukrainian firefighters were ready to help. Read more.

Greenlanders shocked, intrigued, bewildered by Trump zeal for Arctic territory

Make Greenland Great Again? Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to buy Greenland (an idea he first floated in his first term as president) and wouldn't rule out using U.S. military power to achieve it. While some Greenlanders want to see independence from Denmark, they're not sure if Trump's idea is the way to go. Instead, his insistence that the U.S. acquire Greenland has left those on the territory wondering if it's a joke or serious proposal. Read more.

Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@usatoday.com.

Their kids overdosed on fentanyl. They're fed up and desperate for change.

Tyler Cordeiro walked his mother, Susan, down the aisle on her wedding day in 2019. Cordeiro died the next year of an overdose.

Families torn apart by fentanyl use are putting their faith in Trump's promise to crack down on border control and illegal immigration. But will it work?

READ MORE