Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, former Fox News weekend anchor Pete Hegseth, continues to be dogged by allegations about his past, potentially making his confirmation less likely and splitting right-wing media on his prospects as his candidacy faces an “absolutely critical day” on Wednesday.

Hegseth is due to take questions from the House Republican Study Committee today as well as appearing on Fox for an interview.

Hegseth’s mother Penelope has already appeared on the channel to defend him, having previously criticized her son’s behavior towards women in a letter, as the Trump transition team reportedly considers alternatives to lead the Pentagon, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer will meet on Wednesday with Florida Republican Rep. Mike Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

The meeting will take place in Washington, DC, the source said. Axios first reported the meeting.

The two are likely to discuss Gaza hostage release efforts. On Monday, Trump warned that there would be “ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East” if the hostages being held in Gaza aren’t released before he is sworn in as president in January.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for the “strong statement,” saying it “adds another force to our continuing effort to release all the hostages.”

On Tuesday, Trump’s pick to serve as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Sheriff Chad Chronister, withdrew from consideration, posting on X that he would be declining the “honor of a lifetime” after “the gravity of this very important responsibility set in”.

An impasse over FBI background checks for Trump’s Cabinet nominees will likely be resolved “in the next few days,” a top Republican told reporters Monday.

“I do think there will be FBI background checks,” said Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking GOP member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Norwich had to make the purchase now. Chelsea Groton Bank’s property was valued at $1.4 million, but the city negotiated the price down to $800,000. The city needs to make the purchase now so the bank will honor the price and claim the difference as a tax deduction. The purchase also helps with state funding for the police station project, City Manager John Salomone said.

The comments came amid fears the incoming Trump administration plans to bypass the customary step for top appointees, raising concerns about its vetting of candidates. The potential departure from protocol has sparked a debate about the necessity of reviewing the background of people who would hold high-level positions, with Democrats calling it a prerequisite.

“In our system of checks and balances, the Senate plays a vital role in ensuring the President appoints well-qualified public officials that will dutifully serve the American people and honor their oaths to the Constitution,” Schumer wrote. “Regardless of party, the Senate has upheld this sacred duty for generations and we should not and must not waver in our Constitutional duty.”

The United States has signed off on $385m in new weapons sales to Taiwan, the latest sign of deepening military ties that have unsettled China.US approves $385m arms sale to Taiwan

The US expects to begin delivering the military equipment, including spare parts for fighter jets and radar systems, in 2025, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement on Friday.

This is the 18th time the Biden administration has approved arms sales to the self-ruled island, despite China’s opposition to US military support for Taiwan.

Beijing continues to claim Taiwan as its territory and has been stepping up its military presence near the island, including fighter jet flyovers and naval deployments.

Taiwan’s defense ministry expressed gratitude for the sale, saying it would help keep their F-16 fleet combat-ready and strengthen air defenses.

🇺🇸🇹🇼 US approves $385 million arms sale to Taiwan

The United States has approved the proposed sale of spare parts for fighter jets and radar systems, as well as communications equipment, to Taiwan in deals valued at $385 million, a US agency said

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has expressed hope that United States President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January will help bolster his own political comeback, amid accusations that he took part in a failed coup in the South American nation.Bolsonaro hoping Trumps return will help political comeback in Brazil

The Wall Street Journal reported late on Thursday that Bolsonaro is banking on Trump pressuring Brazil with sanctions to delay enforcing a court ruling that bars him from office until 2030 for baselessly attacking the country’s voting system before the 2022 elections he lost.Bolsonaro hoping Trumps return will help political comeback in Brazil

“Trump is back, and it’s a sign we’ll be back, too,” Bolsonaro said in an interview with the US newspaper.

Bolsonaro’s remarks come just days after Brazilian police released a report implicating the former president in an alleged criminal organisation designed to overturn the 2022 election that he lost to his left-wing rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro “planned, acted and was directly and effectively aware of the actions of the criminal organisation aiming to launch a coup d’etat and eliminate the democratic rule of law”, the report said.

Sen. George Helmy, a New Jersey Democrat, is making his brief tenure at the Capitol a busy one.

Last Monday, Helmy was on the Senate floor to give a complex speech about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The remarks were based on a trip to the Middle East he took during the roughly 12 weeks he’ll be in office after Gov. Phil Murphy picked him to fill disgraced Sen. Bob Menendez’s vacant seat.

The next day, a day after walking the tightrope of Middle Eastern politics, Helmy was back to make joint remarks with Sen. Katie Britt, the Alabama Republican. They are both backing bills to rein in social media companies because of their effects on children’s mental health.

While the two may not agree on much else, she praised the Democrat.

“You hit the ground running, I hope the people of New Jersey and America know that,” Britt said. “This man got to work before Day 1.”

Helmy was sworn in on Sept. 9 and he’s expected to step down soon after election results are certified so Rep. Andy Kim, who won a full term, can fill the remaining days of Menendez’s. It will be one of the shortest-ever tenures in the upper chamber since senators started being directly elected 1913 — with about two dozen former senators sitting less than the roughly 90 days Helmy likely will have, according to the Senate Historical Office.

Former Microsoft employee Abdo Mohamed tells how a worker-led group that he was part of, No Azure for Apartheid, which is demanding that the US tech firm cut its ties to Israel’s government and military, held a vigil and fundraiser in October for Gaza relief efforts.WATCH: Microsoft employee fired for Pro-Palestinian vigil

Later that day, Mohamed said he and his colleague, Hossam Nasr, received a call informing them that Microsoft had terminated their employment.WATCH: Microsoft employee fired for Pro-Palestinian vigil

He said organising the vigil did not violate any of the company policies. In fact, Microsoft encourages employees to hold events that promote charities and nonprofit organisations. Except when it comes to Palestine and Israel, he said.

The Israeli government is set to approve a plan for a ceasefire with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, according to unconfirmed reports.

US and Lebanese officials have expressed optimism that a deal is possible to end over a year of conflict that intensified in September, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to its terms in principle.

Israel’s security cabinet is expected to approve the plan, brokered by the United States – Israel’s main ally – and France, at a meeting on Tuesday, newswires reported, quoting unnamed officials.

The Israeli cabinet looks set to approve a ceasefire deal in Lebanon later Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson said, a move that could potentially end the war that has killed thousands.

Netanyahu had approved the plan “in principle,” a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Monday, adding that the prime minister signaled his potential approval for the deal with Hezbollah during a security consultation with Israeli officials Sunday night.

Sources familiar with the negotiations said earlier that talks appear to be moving positively toward an agreement, but acknowledged that as Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade fire, one misstep could upend the talks.

The proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire that will see the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah fighters and weapons from south of the Litani River.

Thousands of troops from the Lebanese Army will be deployed, and an international committee will monitor the implementation of the ceasefire.

The liberal world order, with its supposed commitment to the rule of law, human rights and equality for all, met its demise in Gaza.

There is more than enough evidence confirming the genocidal nature of Israel’s campaign in Gaza. Yet, political leaders in the West have been uncompromising in their support of Israel’s efforts. At the United Nations, the majority of the world has consistently passed resolutions condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and called for an end to the occupation. Israel has responded by making UN agencies and personnel targets of war. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. The United States has rejected the court’s decision and Israel has continued to bombard Gaza. All of this has happened under a Democratic US leadership. With the return of US President-elect Donald Trump, we can expect a fast-track dismantling of whatever is left of this liberal order.

Smith on Monday dropped both the 2020 election subversion prosecution against Trump and the charges accusing Trump of mishandling classified documents.

The special counsel stressed his decision was not about the strength of his case against Trump, but his reasoning hung on the Justice Department’s long-held belief that the Constitution prohibits prosecutions against sitting presidents.

Even if prosecutors had believed that they could have kept the cases on life support into the second Trump presidency, the president-elect had already indicated that he planned to fire Smith and his team, a vow that breached the usual norms surrounding a special counsel investigation.

This time around, Trump will feel confident that he has the mandate to go further. From the first day in office, he has promised a return to the restrictive immigration policies of his first term. It’s important to remember that, in 2023, the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden “outpaced Trump deportation totals for any single year”. But Trump and his allies have claimed that the Democratic administration’s immigration policy is too weak, “treasonous” and “national suicide”. The president-elect’s incoming border czar Tom Homan has promised a “shock and awe” approach with militarised raids, mass detention and mass deportation of undocumented migrants. Rights groups have argued that such actions would “tear apart families”, involve racial profiling, lead to xenophobic actions and increase the chances of abuse by “law enforcement during mass roundups”.

But the offensive wasn’t just rhetorical. As regular readers might recall, Trump also made clear that he hoped to use governmental power to crack down on journalism he dislikes. It’s why he invested so much time and energy talking about the FCC stripping TV networks of their broadcast licenses for airing coverage he disapproves of. We saw some abuses along these lines during his first term in the White House, and these tactics are almost certainly going to get worse in his second term.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is warning that a lack of aid reaching Gaza is forcing Palestinians to search through destroyed buildings for basic necessities, putting them at risk of death or injury from unexploded bombs.Palestinians searching through rubble risk death

Seventy percent of people surveyed in Gaza said they had returned to areas that had seen active fighting, putting them at higher risk from unexploded bombs, a new DRC report found.Palestinians searching through rubble risk death

Twenty-three percent knew someone who had been injured or killed by unexploded bombs, including children who had played with them and people mistakenly picking them up when gathering firewood.

Lilu Thapa, DRC’s Executive Regional Director for the Middle East said people in Gaza face the “threat of starvation due to an almost total blockade of aid and goods” alongside the “ever-present danger of unexploded ordnance, a threat that will stay long after the fighting subsides.”

Inaction to reach a ceasefire in Gaza “looks more like absolute indifference by the day”, Thapa added, describing the continued lack of accountability for Israel as a “[stark illustration] of a global double standard”.