America's place in the world during a second Trump term

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🗓️ 15 January 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

Confirmation hearings for Trump's cabinet picks are in full swing on Capitol Hill with a number of them appearing before the Senate this week.

Nominees including Pam Bondi, Trump's pick to run the Justice Department, John Ratcliffe, his pick to run the CIA, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio Trump's nominee for Secretary of State have all answered questions about what they'll do and what they won't do if confirmed.

Rubio and Ratcliffe will play key foreign policy roles under the 47th president.

Those are the people, but what do they tell us about the policy?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	In some ways, the hearings this week could not have been more different.
0:03.7	President-elect Trump's nominee to lead the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth,
0:08.4	faced an uncertain fate heading into his confirmation hearing.
0:12.0	Democrats unleashed a litany of aggressive questions about his lack of experience,
0:17.6	his criticism of women in combat roles, and allegations which he denied of alcohol
0:23.3	abuse and sexual assault. Here's Arizona Democrat, Senator Mark Kelly. I'm just asking for
0:28.4	true or false answers. An event in North Carolina drunk in front of three young female staff
0:34.3	members after you had instituted a no alcohol policy and then reversed it.
0:39.7	True or false?
0:40.9	Anonymous smears.
0:42.2	December of 2014 at the CBA Christmas Party at the Grand High at Washington, D.C.,
0:47.3	you were noticeably intoxicated and had to be carried up to your room.
0:53.4	Is that true or false?
0:54.9	Anonymous smears.
0:56.6	Trump's Secretary of State nominee, Marco Rubio, was a more conventional pick,
1:01.3	and his hearing, with his former colleagues in the Senate, was more conventional.
1:05.5	I just say it's a bit surreal to be on this side of the room, but you all look very distinguished.
1:12.7	Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:14.6	But there were through lines connecting the hearings.
1:18.4	For one, both nominees look almost certain to be confirmed by the Senate.
1:22.9	Yes, including Heggseth.
1:24.8	He won crucial approval from Iowa Republican Joni Ernst. She went on
	...

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