With the notable exceptions of the shooting of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the news cycle appears to be winding down for the holidays. This might explain why CBS is re-running tired narratives on the CBS Evening News.
Watch the opening to tonight’s “story” on Defense Secretary-Designate Pete Hegseth:
NORAH O’DONNELL: Nearly 250,000 women serve in the U.S. military. with about 2% of them in combat roles. Tonight, one of President-Elect Trump's cabinet picks is in the spotlight over comments about those female warriors. CBS's Scott MacFarlane reports from Capitol Hill, where the Defense Secretary hopeful is meeting with senators.
SCOTT MACFARLANE: For the man who wants to run the Pentagon, a political rescue mission expands. Pete Hegseth met late today with Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski; and tomorrow meets with another potentially pivotal moderate vote- Maine’s Susan Collins. Two senators who have defied Donald Trump on key votes in the past.
SUSAN COLLINS: I'm going to be asking him on everything from his position on Ukraine, on sexual assaults in the military.
MACFARLANE: Over the past 24 hours, Hegseth has been asked about his controversial statement weeks ago that women shouldn't serve in combat roles.
PETE HEGSETH: It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated.
MACFARLANE: On Fox News Monday night, he referenced women in the military, but not in combat.
HEGSETH: I also want an opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misconstrued that I somehow don't support women in the military. Some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there are women.
What new news, exactly, does this item report, other than Hegseth met with Senators Murkowski (R-AK) and Collins (R-ME), and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell requiring medical attention due to a nasty spill? None, really.
The report regurgitates liberal hand-wringing over Hegseth’s remarks about women in combat, recycles the various anonymously-sourced allegations currently circulating in the public record, and rehashes Hegseth’s “support” dance with Senators Ernst (R-IA) and Graham (R-SC), which McFarlane literally reported the day before.
This report serves no other purpose than to further efforts to disqualify Hegseth from serving as Secretary of Defense, and it shows.
By the way, you know what DIDN’T make it into the report that would’ve been newsworthy? The letter, signed by dozens of veterans who served with Hegseth, in support of his nomination. THAT would’ve been newsworthy. Counternarrative, but newsworthy.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned story as aired on the CBS Evening News on Tuesday, December 10th, 2024:
CBS EVENING NEWS
12/10/24
6:40 PM
NORAH O’DONNELL: Nearly 250,000 women serve in the U.S. military. with about 2% of them in combat roles. Tonight, one of President-Elect Trump's cabinet picks is in the spotlight over comments about those female warriors. CBS's Scott MacFarlane reports from Capitol Hill, where the Defense Secretary hopeful is meeting with senators.
SCOTT MACFARLANE: For the man who wants to run the Pentagon, a political rescue mission expands. Pete Hegseth met late today with Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski; and tomorrow meets with another potentially pivotal moderate vote- Maine’s Susan Collins. Two senators who have defied Donald Trump on key votes in the past.
SUSAN COLLINS: I'm going to be asking him on everything from his position on Ukraine, on sexual assaults in the military.
MACFARLANE: Over the past 24 hours, Hegseth has been asked about his controversial statement weeks ago that women shouldn't serve in combat roles.
PETE HEGSETH: It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated.
MACFARLANE: On Fox News Monday night, he referenced women in the military, but not in combat.
HEGSETH: I also want an opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misconstrued that I somehow don't support women in the military. Some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there are women.
MACFARLANE: Hegseth is also making progress with some of the Republican senators who just last week expressed alarm about accusations Hegseth engaged in sexual misconduct in 2017 and has a drinking problem, allegations he‘s denied. Iowa Republican Joni Ernst, a former servicemember, has stopped short of saying she’d vote for Hegseth, but now says she’ll support him through the process of confirmation.
MACFARLANE: How impactful was that statement from Senator Ernst on your canvassing?
HEGSETH: Well, we are grateful that she said she's going to support us through that process, and that’s what she’s talked about.
MACFARLANE: Senator Lindsey Graham says allegations against Hegseth shouldn’t remain anonymous.
Is that a line in the sand for you?
LINDSEY GRAHAM: Yeah, I think that should be a line in the sand for every American. That you need to come forward and the person being accused of something has a chance to confront their accuser.
MACFARLANE: But Democrats argue confirmation hearings could be high stakes and high drama.
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: THe odds of his being approved are still less than 50/50.
MACFARLANE: There was also a scare here this afternoon. 82-year-old Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch Mcconnell, the outgoing Republican leader, suffered a fall after a luncheon. His staff says he suffered cuts and a sprained wrist, but Norah, he will resume his duties.
O’DONNELL: Glad to see him on his feet. Scott MacFarlane, thank you.
