Republicans Embraced Hegseth’s Bid to Lead the Pentagon

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, appeared at the Capitol today for a contentious four-hour confirmation hearing. Democratic senators repeatedly called him unfit to lead the Pentagon, but Republicans — who alone can confirm Hegseth — offered almost nothing but support.

Hegseth appears likely to have enough votes to advance through the Senate Armed Services Committee. A vote of the full Senate could come as soon as next week, where he can likely afford to lose the support of just three Republicans. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, a Republican whose support is seen as crucial for Hegseth’s confirmation, appeared satisfied with his responses.

At today’s hearing, Democrats pressed Hegseth on numerous allegations of misconduct, excessive drinking, his views about women in combat and his ability to lead the U.S. military’s three million employees through a challenging moment. Hegseth claimed to have been the victim of a “smear campaign.”

Before the hearing, Democrats argued that the F.B.I. had omitted key details about Hegseth when compiling his background check, in part because it did not include interviews with critical witnesses.

L.A. firefighters battled to contain wind-driven blazes

Officials in Los Angeles urged residents to stay alert and make evacuation plans as intense winds threatened to ignite more blazes across a region already scarred from a week of devastating fires. Some of the strongest gusts are expected to come later tonight. Here’s the latest.

By Thursday, the area may catch a break as the winds die down. But the region remains critically dry and unlikely to see significant rainfall until next month. Firefighters expect to battle the two largest blazes for weeks. Here’s a look at the forecast.

Israel and Hamas appeared close to a cease-fire deal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that Israel and Hamas were “on the brink” of agreeing to declare a cease-fire in Gaza and release hostages held there. It is far from the first time that American officials have suggested that a truce is near. But over the past two days, both Israeli and Hamas officials have said that a deal appears within reach.

“It’s closer than it’s ever been before,” Blinken said. “But right now as we sit here we await final word from Hamas on its acceptance. And until we get that word, we’ll remain on the brink.”

Related: An analysis found that deaths from bombs and other traumatic injuries during the first nine months of the war in Gaza may have been underestimated by more than 40 percent.

Ukraine launched a major drone attack inside Russia

Ukraine carried out “massive” drone strikes on several regions of Russia overnight, Russian officials said. The attacks demonstrated Kyiv’s ability to strike deep inside its enemy’s territory, even as its own forces face setbacks in Ukraine.

Both sides have tried to project strength ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration next week. He has vowed to end the war, which the Ukrainians fear could mean they could be forced to make concessions.

The app, which many call “Red Note” (its name means “little red book” in Mandarin), received a sudden surge in popularity thanks to the possibility of a U.S. ban on TikTok. Some new Xiaohongshu users said that they wanted to show they did not share Washington’s concerns about TikTok’s ties to China.

Swim lessons aren’t just for kids

Swimming is a remarkable activity: It’s great exercise, it’s easy on the joints and it can be a lot of fun. But not everyone feels comfortable in the pool.

My colleague Erik Vance was once one of those people. He could swim, but he didn’t like it. Then he signed up for lessons, and it changed everything for him. Read about his experience.

The woman who mapped Middle-earth

In 1977, Karen Wynn Fonstad, a novice cartographer from Oshkosh, Wis., made a long-shot cold call to J.R.R. Tolkien’s publisher. She was hoping to land a dream assignment: to create an atlas of Middle-earth, the setting of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” To her surprise, an editor loved the idea and secured her permission from the Tolkien estate.

Fonstad, who had two young children, worked mostly at night for the next two and a half years to publish “The Atlas of Middle-earth,” which wowed fans and scholars with its exquisite level of detail. Her work is now considered a crown jewel of fantasy mapmaking.

Have a magnificent evening.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

Sean Kawasaki-Culligan was our photo editor today.

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