Hegseth's Wild Confirmation Day, House Passes Protect Girls in Sports, Trump's External Revenue Service Department, Tulsi Flip Flops But Why?, Cuba Declared Terrorism Free

 Let me tell you about Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing for Defense Secretary, and folks, this one was spicy. The 44-year-old former Fox News personality went toe-to-toe with Senate Democrats in what turned into quite the showdown. Hegseth came out swinging, declaring that Trump picked him to "restore the warrior ethos to the Pentagon." He's promising a major shake-up, vowing to rid the Department of Defense of what he calls "woke" policies, including climate change initiatives and DEI programs. 

 When asked about troop reaction to these changes, Hegseth confidently proclaimed "the troops will rejoice." He even pointed to a surge in Army recruiting interest since Trump's election victory as evidence of support for this direction. But Democrats weren't letting him off easy. They grilled him hard about allegations of misconduct, including claims of mismanagement and inappropriate behavior during his time leading veterans advocacy groups. Hegseth dismissed these as part of what he called a "coordinated smear campaign." In a move that's sure to make waves, Hegseth committed to reinstating roughly 8,000 service members who were discharged for refusing the COVID Nineteen vaccine. He's not just bringing them back - he's promising apologies, back pay, and restoration of lost rank. 

 The combat veteran, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, emphasized his frontline experience, saying Trump chose him because it's time for someone with "dust on his boots" to take the helm. Despite unanimous Democratic opposition, sources close to the process say Hegseth is likely to be confirmed when Trump returns to office, with Republicans holding a 53-47 Senate majority. As Hegseth put it himself, "People see me as someone who hosts a morning show on television - but people that really know me know where my heart is at." He's positioning himself as a change agent, promising to focus on warfighting and lethality while steering clear of what he considers political distractions. 

 In a significant move that's stirring up debate across the country, the House of Representatives just passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025. The bill cleared the chamber with a vote of 218 to 206, with two Democrats crossing party lines to support the measure. This legislation packs quite a punch - it would effectively ban transgender girls and women from competing in school sports by hitting schools where it hurts: their federal funding. Any school that doesn't comply with these new restrictions could see their funding cut off. Speaker Mike Johnson didn't mince words after the vote, citing both religious and natural law as the basis for these competition limits. But House Democrats, led by Pete Aguilar, fired back, warning about potential unintended consequences and risks of government overreach in monitoring transgender students. 

 The numbers tell an interesting story here - while about 3% of American high school students identify as transgender, 25 states have already jumped ahead with their own restrictions on transgender athletes in competition. This federal push would take those state-level efforts nationwide. The bill's language is pretty straightforward - it would amend Title Nine to define gender "based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth." President-elect Trump has already signaled his support, stating bluntly in an October Fox News interview that under his administration, "The president bans it. You just don't let it happen." But here's where it gets interesting - even with Republicans controlling the Senate 53-47, the bill's future isn't guaranteed. Thanks to that pesky filibuster rule requiring 60 votes, they'll need some Democratic support to get it across the finish line. So far, no Senate Democrats have stepped forward to back the measure, leaving its ultimate fate up in the air.