Good morning! JPMorgan stands by DEI, brand safety isn’t Meta’s top priority anymore, and Pete Hegseth was just barely confirmed.
– Tiebreak. Despite allegations of sexual assault, paying off an accuser, and drinking to incapacitation on the job, Pete Hegseth was confirmed as President Donald Trump’s secretary of defense late Friday.
The 50-50 vote required Vice President JD Vance to serve as a tiebreaker—highly unusual for a defense secretary confirmation. The vote took place after new information from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law became public, in which she said that while she didn’t personally witness any abuse, she knew that Hegseth’s ex-wife “at times feared for her safety and had a code word if she needed help to get away from her husband.” Hegseth’s attorney told CNN that Hegseth’s sister-in-law Danielle “hates Pete” and there was “no truth to any of this.”
Yet the former Fox News host’s personal character wasn’t enough to dissuade most Republicans from supporting the nominee, nor was his track record of questioning and demeaning women who serve in the military. GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins were among the three Republicans who opposed Hegseth’s nomination.
Hegseth’s nomination was among the most controversial of Trump’s cabinet picks; Democrats and some Republicans were initially outraged by his history. Hegseth followed the Trump playbook when faced with these allegations during his confirmation hearings, and vehemently denied everything. (Trump has been found liable for sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll in civil court, and was ordered to pay $83 million for defaming her while denying the allegation.) When cabinet confirmations continue, the Senate will likely litigate the histories of health and human services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has described himself as “not a church boy” regarding his past relationships with women, and education secretary nominee Linda McMahon, who faces a civil lawsuit that claims she and her husband ignored sexual abuse of a WWE employee. (An attorney for McMahon has described the suit as “baseless.”)
Instead, today will be Hegseth’s first day on the job as secretary of defense, overseeing the world’s most powerful military. At the top of his to-do list will be responding to Trump’s demands for forces at the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as dealing with the aftermath of Trump’s executive orders on DEI in federal agencies and transgender troops. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will be addressing some of these priorities as well—she was confirmed 59-34 as secretary of homeland security on Saturday.
Emma Hinchliffe
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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Danger zone. Meta’s changes to its free speech policy sent a message to advertisers: The once all-important “brand safety” is no longer the tech giant’s top priority. Wall Street Journal
- Love is love.Last week, Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. Hundreds of couples officially married at a celebratory event in Bangkok. Bloomberg
- Bring it on. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said, in response to activists targeting the bank's DEI initiatives, “bring them on.” The Wall Street chief is among few CEOs to publicly stand by diversity programs amid Trump’s anti-DEI agenda and a widespread rollback. HR Brew
- It takes two.A Democratic senator in Mississippi introduced the “Contraception Begins at Erection Act,” which would make it unlawful to “discharge genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo.” The bill is unlikely to be passed but brings men into a conversation typically focused on women. NBC
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
HealtheConnections, a New York health information nonprofit, appointed Elizabeth Amato as president and CEO. She was previously the company’s COO.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society appointed Stephanie Davidson as chief people and culture officer and Lauren Hall as chief development officer. Most recently, Davidson served as the organization’s interim CHRO; previously, she was chief human resources and administrative officer at Modern Meadow. Hall was chief development officer at the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Wedgewood, a compounded veterinary medications company, named Dr. Rae Hutchins chief veterinary officer. Most recently, Hutchins served as chief clinical officer at United Veterinary Care.
BAE Systems, an aerospace, defense, and security company, named Hope Damphousse senior vice president of communications. Most recently, she was vice president of strategic operations for the company’s space and mission systems sector.
ON MY RADAR
Single women, rich millennials will fuel luxury real estate this yearBloomberg
I photographed abortion clinics. What caught my eye hung on the wallsWashington Post
How women’s wrestling picked men’s wrestling off the matWall Street Journal
PARTING WORDS
“I want to know what I’m made of. I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface.”
— Pamela Anderson on wanting to do more things that challenge her, after filming The Last Showgirl
