Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio set for Senate grilling as Newsom issues call for Trump to visit LA: Live updates

As you might have expected, MAGA loyalists like Markwayne Mullin, Eric Schmitt and Ronny Jackson were out in force last night to leap to the defense of the would-be defense secretary, not always helpfully.

The opposition, meanwhile, made it clear they were less than impressed with Trump’s candidate to lead the Pentagon.

Here’s Justin Baragona on Fox News’s John Roberts fancifully comparing his former stable mate to none other than Sir Winston Churchill.

Today’s Trump nominees follow in the footsteps of Pete Hegseth, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of defense, who endured a fiery hearing on Tuesday in which he called for the return of “American warriors” at the Pentagon but faced aggressive questioning about his checkered personal history and was heckled by spectators.

Andrew Feinberg and Eric Garcia have this report on an extraordinary day with the Senate Armed Services Committee.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has invited Trump to visit Los Angeles to witness the devastation wrought by January’s wildfires, rather than merely criticize the emergency response from social media.

“I want the president-elect to meet with the communities impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires and understand the magnitude of the devastation,” Newsom wrote on X.

“I urge him to meet with the brave firefighters and first responders on the ground and see firsthand how they’ve saved lives.”

The above clip of Newsom was taken from his latest interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki in which he also told her that Trump’s childish nickname for him meant little and that he should follow Joe Biden’s example and make a real difference on the ground by consoling the brave souls who have been out there battling the blazes for more than a week now.

Following yesterday’s Pete Hegseth drama on Capitol Hill, a number of other people nominated by the president-elect for top cabinet position will face the senators on Wednesday.

Here’s who’s on the menu:

• Pam Bondi, attorney general nominee – Senate Judiciary Committee 9.30am (all times ET)
• Chris Wright, secretary of energy – Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee 10am
• Marco Rubio, secretary of state – Senate Foreign Relations Committee 10am
• John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency – Senate Intelligence Committee 10am
• Sean Duffy, secretary of transportation – Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee 10am
• Russell Vought, director of Office of Management and Budget – Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 1pm

Bondi and Rubio are the most intriguing names in that lineup, with the Florida Attorney General (who replaced the ill-fated Matt Gaetz) accused of amplifing Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election and known for representing him at his first impeachment trial in 2019 while Rubio was once a bitter rival to the president-elect for the Republican presidential nomination, trading bitter insults in 2016.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem had been due to have her confirmation hearing on becoming secretary of the Department of Homeland Security but that has now been postponed until Friday, we understand, with Congress waiting on a little outstanding paperwork from the FBI.

The 69-year-old TV host addressed Underwood’s expected performance during Tuesday’s (January 14) episode of The View. She also discussed the backlash the country singer — who’s previously been private about her political stance — received for announcing the gig.

The Republican leader’s decision means that President-elect Donald Trump will not take the oath of office for his second term under a half-staff flag, a prospect that he had previously complained about.

It mirrors actions taken in recent days by some Republican governors who have announced that flags in their states would be raised on Inauguration Day to mark Trump’s second term.

Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook and CEO of its parent company Meta, told staff on Tuesday that it plans to cut its “low performers” sooner than expected, which could amount to five percent of staff, according to a new report.

In an internal memo, obtained by Bloomberg, Zuckerberg told staff he “decided to raise the bar on performance management” in order to “move out low-performers faster”.

According to the memo, Zuckerberg said the company typically “manage out people who aren’t meeting expectations over the course of a year” but was now planning on “more extensive performance-based cuts” sooner.