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Combat veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth has been confirmed by the US Senate as President Donald Trump’s defence secretaryHegseth is a controversial pick who has faced fiery questions from lawmakers and media scrutiny Meanwhile, Trump has toured Los Angeles areas which were ravaged by fires, meeting with local authorities and first respondersCalifornia governor Gavin Newsom met Trump briefly beside Air Force One. Trump has repeatedly criticised Newsom for the state’s response to the firesEarlier, Trump and the First Lady were in North Carolina where they met locals impacted by Hurricane Helene, where he repeated his criticisms of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema)This video can not be playedGovernor Newsom welcomes Trump to California in wildfires visitEdited by Christal Hayes, with Anthony Zurcher on Air Force OneDonald Trump has had a busy first week in office. He’s issued a slew of executive orders, travelled across the country and issued a number of pardons. Here are some of the biggest developments:Here is more on what Trump has done since taking power. We’re ending our live coverage but catch up on updates on Hegseth’s confirmation here and we have full coverage on Trump’s trip to California here.Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has just issued a statement explaining why he voted against Hegseth as the next US defence secretary. It was a notable break from Trump for the Republican, who was the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history before taking a step back this year. McConnell issued a blistering critique of Hegseth, saying he is unprepared to lead a department of three million people while managing a huge budget and co-ordinating with allies around the world.“Mr Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will
pass this test,” he says. “The United States faces coordinated aggression from
adversaries bent on shattering the order underpinning American security and
prosperity,” McConnell adds. “In public comments and testimony before the Armed Services
Committee, Mr Hegseth did not reckon with this reality.” He adds that in his testimony to the Senate, he didn’t acknowledge a plan on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines against a Chinese attack – or if the US should even step in if such an attack were to occur. “He failed, for that matter, to articulate in any detail a strategic vision for
dealing with,” with China, McConnell says.Using a phrased coined by Hegseth, a former Fox News host and author, McConnell says: “The
restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not come from trading one set of culture
warriors for another.”He ends by wishing “Secretary
Hegseth great success”. Pete Hegseth spent years in the US Army and as a Fox News host before becoming Trump’s Defence Secretary. The 44-year-old has little traditional experience for the role but he has long been a defender of President Trump. Besides the time he unsuccessfully ran for the Republican Senate nomination in Minnesota – Hegseth has limited political experience. He’s argued women should not serve in combat roles and has called for “woke” policies of the department to be revoked. While he earned the support of many Republicans, his nomination for weeks was dogged by concerns about his lack of experience and misconduct allegations. Read more about Hegseth here. This video can not be playedWatch: Moment VP Vance casts tie-breaking vote to confirm HegsethPete Hegseth, Trump’s embroiled defence secretary nominee, was just confirmed by the US Senate. In a dramatic turn, Vice-President JD Vance came to the US Capitol to cast the tie-breaking vote of 51-50. Stick with us and we’ll bring you the latest from the vote. Vice-President JD Vance is expected to cast the tie-breaking vote to approve Hegseth. Currently, the Senate is split in a 50-50 tie on his appointment as defence secretary. Vance joked in a post on X that, “I thought I was done voting in the senate” with a laughing emoji. His expected vote will mark only the second time in history that a vice-president has exercised their authority to cast a deciding vote for a cabinet appointment. In 2017, Trump’s first vice-president, Mike Pence, cast the final vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Trump’s secretary of education.We’ve been waiting to see how some Republicans would vote on Hegseth, including those who expressed concerned about his nomination. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican representing Kentucky, has just voted no – a big step for the former top Republican in Washington. He joins fellow Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins who also voted against Hegseth becoming the US defence secretary. The three Republicans voting against Hegseth would bring the vote to a tie, which Vice President JD Vance can break. But if another Republican votes against Hegseth, his nomination will fail. Hegseth is watching the votes on his nomination come in, as are many of us. As the votes continue to be tallied, Hegseth just posted a letter on social media that he wrote to North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis, a Republican who is thought to be one of the key swing votes on his appointment. In the letter he appears to answer specific questions Tillis asked him about allegations of physical abuse, sexual assault and alcohol use. You can read the two-page letter here, external.In the last few moments, Tillis posted on social media that he would support Hegseth’s appointment. The full Senate is now voting on whether to confirm Trump’s defence secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. While Republicans hold a majority in the 100-member chamber, they can only lose three votes. Already Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins have indicated they will vote against his appointment. Vice President JD Vance is standing ready to place a tie-breaking vote if needed. As we told you earlier, Hegseth and his family are also at the US Capitol to watch the vote. Gary O’DonoghueSenior North America correspondent, reporting from Los AngelesIf everything was cordial between Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump at the airport, it wasn’t so pleasant when the president sat down with city administrators and local residents.A number of those affected by the fire said they’d been told they couldn’t start rebuilding for 18 months. Donald Trump said they should be able to start clearing their plots tonight and all necessary permits should be waived.Democratic Mayor Karen Bass disputed it would take that long. After Bass said people should be able to get back to their homes in a week, the president hit back saying he believed that was a long time.He told a round table session that California had to adopt “common sense policies” and while he said he was “opening the coffers”, it’s still an open question whether he’ll make changes to state laws a prerequisite for approving the money.In a lengthy session, the president also reiterated his attacks on Fema (Federal Emergency Management Agency) for its bureaucracy, and attacked environmentalists whom he suggested held their beliefs to make themselves “feel good”.The President leaves California with the big questions still unanswered: will the federal government withhold funding from the state and will Fema survive this administration?While Trump continues to speak with California officials at a roundtable, across the country in Washington DC senators are gathering to vote on defence secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. The former Fox News host has just arrived at the Capitol with his family to watch the vote. It’s slightly unusual because nominees don’t usually attend their confirmation vote. We also understand Vice-President JD Vance is on the Hill. He can vote to break a tie, if needed.After a
half an hour of broad agreement and niceties, President Donald Trump and LA Mayor Karen
Bass have now started to bicker.Trump and Bass
are on the same page when it came to reducing red tape to help people rebuild
their homes.But then the
mayor fields a question about allowing homeowners to clear out debris.“We want
you to be safe, and we want you to be back in your homes immediately,” she
says.“But people
are willing to clean out their own debris,” Trump responds. “You should let
them do it. By the time you hire contractors, it’s going to be two years.” “They can
do that,” Bass says, and notes that people would be allowed to return to their
properties in about “a week”.“A week is
actually a long time, the way I look at it,” Trump says. Trump is speaking with California officials and leaders right now at a roundtable in Los Angeles. He’s just announced that he will sign an executive order opening the water pumps from north to south California. “We want to get that water pouring down here as quickly as possible,” he said, adding, “you’re talking about unlimited water coming up from the Pacific Northwest, even coming from parts of Canada”.Trump has long pushed for moving the water from the north of the state to the south. He was urging that in the past to help the state’s agricultural producers.When he tried to do that in 2020, he face a legal challenge because of concerns about endangered species it could impact.Earlier today, BBC News asked Greg Pierce, director of the UCLA Water Resources Group, if moving water from northern California into the southland would have helped with either the Pacific Palisades or Eaton fires.”The short answer is no, absolutely not,” he says.”Of course every marginal bit of water helps with firefighting, but water supply is one part of firefighting… You need not just more water quantity, but the hyperlocal infrastructure to hold it near fires.”Mike WendlingUS digital reporterTrump holding the black-and-gold hat while leaving the White House earlier todayDonald Trump is currently talking to local officials in California, and for the event he’s put on a black-and-gold “Make America Great Again” hat. Those happen to be the colours of the Proud Boys, whose former leader gave a press conference earlier today after getting a pardon for his Capitol riot. A similar-looking hat was on the table in front of Enrique Tarrio as he spoke to reporters.When Trump wore the black-and-gold hat before the election, it prompted speculation that he was sending a signal to the far-right group.Of course, it could just be a coincidence – Trump has never said one way or the other. But it’s sure to spark some discussion aside from today’s disaster-related events. Gary O’DonoghueSenior North America correspondent, reporting from Los AngelesAs the president toured the devastation of the Palisades, west of Los Angeles, I met two people returning to the remains of their rental home right on the beach in Malibu.Brian and Sarah were out of town on the night the fire started, and for more than a day, friends driving by were sending them pictures of their home that was still standing.But then, it went, like so many other homes around here.To add to their pain, Sarah’s parents lost their home in the Palisades fire. Her 85-year-old father, who has Parkinsons, had to find temporary accommodation.Brian is non-commital when asked about the president’s visit – like most people here, he and Sarah are focused not on the politics but on how to shape a new life.More now on
the news conference Trump’s press secretary held aboard the president’s plane
on the way to California.Karoline Leavitt
said there would be no conditions on federal emergency aid to rebuild North
Carolina, which was hit by a devastating hurricane last year. However she held
out the possibility of recovery funds for California being contingent on
reforms, noting that Trump said “California has to address the water issue in
their state”.Trump has
also mentioned abolishing the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and signed
an executive order to examine the department. “We’re
thinking about it at this point in time,” Leavitt said.President Trump and the First Lady are in the Pacific Palisades, meeting with locals and first responders at one of the areas ravaged by wildfire.Missing from his entourage is California Governor Gavin Newsom.Earlier, the White House told us that Newsom had got on the Marine One helicopter with the president. But he did not, and instead stayed behind at the airfield.President Trump has just issued another executive order, designed to prevent US taxes from being used to
pay for abortions.It’s a measure known
as the Hyde Amendment, and it first came into effect in 1980, although it has
been modified many times since. Joe Biden tried but
failed to remove the law, yet Trump’s executive order claims that previous
administration largely ignored it. The law mostly affects
lower-income women on the state-funded Medicaid programme, as well as women in
the military, federal employees and others. There are exceptions to protect the
life of the mother and for cases involving rape and incest. Trump’s Supreme Court
picks removed a decades-long blanket right to abortion, and he’s said that
abortion policy should be set by individual US states. But anti-abortion activists
are a part of his base and the president recorded a message played out at
the anti-abortion March for Life earlier today. Like many of his other
executive orders, this one is sure to be challenged in court, by pro-choice
groups. Iona HampsonReporting from Los AngelesEarlier, we made our way through the evacuation zone to Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway, where oceanfront homes have turned to rubble. The smell of the ocean mixes with the smell of charred wood. Authorities have been working around these homes to search for biohazards and try to prevent the impact of an imminent storm this weekend. To some extent, rain would be good. But too much rain could result in mudslides. Concrete “K” rails are being put in place to mitigate. Just before the Palisades evacuation zone, there are sandwich boards telling approaching drivers that they should not drink the tap water in the zone. Some people here are trying to pick up some form of normality. For others, life is forever changed with another possible natural challenge on the way. Anthony ZurcherNorth America correspondent, travelling with the presidentAt 3:43 local time, after an aerial tour of the fire damage, Marine One touched down on a grassy field in Pacific Palisades.From an Osprey aircraft following the presidential helicopter, the press pool saw entire neighbourhoods that were destroyed. In other spots, houses that burned had been directly adjacent to those that were spared.There were scorched stretches of mountaintop that appeared to belong to another, barren planet.
From here, the president and First Lady, along with California Governor Newsom, will view the damage from the ground. Carl NasmanNews correspondentIn the last hour I spoke to Republican Congressman from North Carolina Chuck Edwards. He was with Trump in Air Force One as he flew over affected areas of North Carolina.Edwards told me he agreed with Trump that Fema, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, should be reformed or cut down to size.And he didn’t think that strings attached to California was a double standard when compared to North Carolina.© 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
