Trump also heaped praises on and congratulated Frank Bisignano

DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, told SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly on Wednesday that he believes he is the target of a “smear” campaign, comparing his experience to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. After Trump nominated Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court in 2018, Democratic lawmakers quickly sought to derail his confirmation, portraying him as partisan and using sexual assault allegations that surfaced after his nomination to weaken his bid. On “The Megyn Kelly Show,” Hegseth sat down to discuss the backlash against him, with Kelly asking if he believes he is being “Kavanaugh’d.” “I had a member, not 45 minutes ago, look me in the eye in private, just he and I, and say, ‘That’s what they’re trying to do to you,’” Hegseth said. “‘That’s their playbook. Get ready for more, and they’re gonna make it up, just like they have so far. All anonymous, all innuendo, all rumor, nothing sourced, no verification and they’re just gonna keep doing it, because you’re a threat to them. You’re a threat to their system. You’re a threat to all the things in Washington D.C., the swamp, the things that people have rejected. You’re a threat to that, and so they’re coming after you.’” “I know that, he knows that, and when you stand firm on that, it’s not difficult to just continue to fight. So yeah, we saw what happened, but guess what happened? Kavanaugh stood up, and he fought, and he won, and hopefully Republicans have learned that lesson,” Hegseth added. Hegseth noted that despite the criticism from lawmakers, Trump still stood by Kavanaugh, stating that what the public is witnessing in his process is the “classic art of the smear” in order to take “tiny kernels of truth” and “blow them up into a masquerade of a narrative.” “What they never quote, and we’ll get into this too, are the legions of people from whom I served with in combat, multiple tours, from the multiple veterans organizations that I very proudly ran, and I really want to get into that, and my time at Fox News. They never asked the people closest to me,” Hegseth said. “They never ask those people. That’s what a smear looks like. It’s a couple anonymous nuggets, usually from disgruntled people who were fired for cause, who are jealous or want a little bit of retribution, and so they peddle stuff to reporters who are not interested in the truth. They’re interested in smearing someone who supports Donald Trump’s agenda,” Hegseth continued. Following the announcement of Hegseth’s nomination last month, reports of a sexual assault allegation surfaced, along with other outlets claiming the former Fox News host had abused alcohol. In November, The New York Times also published a 2018 email from Hegseth’s mother, calling out her son for his alleged mistreatment and belittling of women. On Wednesday, Hegseth’s mother appeared on “Fox & Friends,” stating that she wanted to “discredit” the media’s attacks against him and that she had written the email “in haste.” In response, Hegseth denied the claims and has been meeting with Republican senators for private discussions regarding his nomination. Co-workers and friends of the former Fox host have also come forward, with host Will Cain creating a thread Wednesday on X showing how many public figures close to Hegseth are in support of him despite the “anonymous sources” calling for concerns of his alleged drinking habit. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post Pete Hegseth Tells Megyn Kelly He Believes He Is Being ‘Kavanaugh’d’ During Confirmation Process appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Does the fact that cross-sex hormones affect children differently based on their sex make it unconstitutional for states to protect minors from transgender medical procedures? This is the key issue of the case heard Wednesday by the Supreme Court, says Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, a Republican and the defendant in United States v. Skrmetti. Opponents want the high court to strike down a Tennessee law banning transgender medical treatments for minors. “The fundamental question of the Supreme Court case is: Does the mere fact that hormones affect kids differently mean that any regulation of hormones for kids is going to be a constitutional issue?” Skrmetti told The Daily Signal in a phone interview Wednesday night. “We regulate medicine all the time,” Skrmetti said. “The states have been regulating the practice of medicine for hundreds of years. And yet we have this one odd carve-out because boys and girls are different, and that’s such a fundamental fact of human existence, it seems hard to see how we could be boxed in and left unable to protect kids just because we happen to have two sexes.” U.S. v. Skrmetti will decide whether states may ban irreversible transgender medical interventions for children. The high court will rule on the constitutionality of SB 1, the Tennessee law that protects children from gender-transition procedures.  In Wednesday’s oral argument, lawyers for the U.S. government and the American Civil Liberties Union contended that the Tennessee law discriminates based on sex because it bans transgender medical procedures only “when inconsistent with the patient’s birth sex.” U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelagor, representing the Biden-Harris administration, argued that so-called puberty blockers are prescribed to boys and girls with early-onset puberty. It is thus sex discrimination to deny puberty blockers based on sex to children with gender dysphoria, she said. A doctor may prescribe estrogen to an adolescent female with a hormone disorder, but not to an adolescent male who wants to transition to a female, which Prelagor said is facial discrimination— discrimination that is plainly based on protected class or status. Justice Amy Coney Barrett posed a hypothetical to her: What if a new drug with the sole purpose of blocking puberty was banned? Prelagor admitted that such a ban would not facially discriminate based on sex. In his interview with The Daily Signal, Skrmetti said the existence of two biological sexes shouldn’t prevent states from “protecting kids.” The position that the Tennessee law is sex discrimination is a “hyperformal reading of the law” that is better suited for “statutory text,” the state’s attorney general said. “When you’re looking at the Constitution, and there were questions [by the justices] to this effect, you have to be careful about an overly formal reading that has significant consequences,” Skrmetti told The Daily Signal. “We’ve long thought that the sex discrimination argument here is misplaced.” He said sex-based differences in hormone prescriptions prohibited by the Tennessee law are because of “enduring physical differences” between boys and girls. “It’s just a fact that our bodies are different,” Skrmetti said, “and they react differently to different hormones.” Justice Samuel Alito twice asked ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio, who offered the second oral argument against the Tennessee law, whether a transgender identity is “immutable” and unable to be changed. Strangio, born a woman, says she identifies as a transgender man. She is the first known transgender person to argue before the Supreme Court. After avoiding the question the first time, Strangio responded to Alito’s second inquiry by saying that she believes that transgender status is immutable. “I think that the record shows that the discordance between a person’s birth, sex, and gender identity has a strong biological basis and would satisfy an immutable immutability test,” Strangio said, “and I also think under this court’s precedence for determining whether something is a suspect or quasi-suspect classification, a distinguishing characteristic is sufficient.” Alito brought up detransitioners—those who identified as trans before changing their minds and deciding to live in accord with their biological sex. Strangio acknowledged that this does happen. “So it’s not an immutable characteristic, is it?” Alito asked. This exchange was significant because a “characteristic being immutable is part of the determination as to whether a protected class should be recognized,” Skrmetti told The Daily Signal. “Part of the argument here, from the government and the ACLU perspective, is that there should be constitutional protections for transgender status, and the immutability issue is a really important part of that,” Skrmetti said. “So that was a significant question.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh posed the question: If harm is caused both by permitting and prohibiting transgender medical procedures for minors, how could the Supreme Court pick a side? Kavanaugh asked how the court could choose between protecting kids from deeply regretting undergoing transgender medical interventions and allowing kids who say they will be distressed without so-called gender-affirming care to take cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers. “Because this is a policy decision about balancing risks and benefits, when the state looks at the evidence, it’s allowed to make its own determinations of what to do in response,” Skrmetti said. “And for the court to constitutionalize this, it takes away the people’s ability to govern themselves.” If the Supreme Court decided that states can’t ban transgender procedures for kids, he said, it would “impose uniformity on a national level when this is still a very underdeveloped area of research, and it doesn’t give states the opportunity to serve as the 50 different laboratories of democracy.” “Our position is the state should be allowed to decide here, and that if the courts step in, that’s a constitutionally suspect move that’s bad for our constitutional republic,” Skrmetti said. A ruling against Tennessee’s law also would create “significant precedent as to how to deal with gender identity cases going forward,” the attorney general said. The ruling could affect whether men who say they identify as female should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. “If the court issues an opinion that clarifies how courts generally should deal with these issues, then certainly the sports cases would be affected,” Skrmetti said. The post After Supreme Court Hearing, AG Skrmetti Says Sex Differences Shouldn’t Stop States From Protecting Kids appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A kind passerby found a cat walking down the road and couldn't leave her behind. They ended up saving her six kittens, too. BestFriendsFelinesAbout two months ago, a Good Samaritan spotted a cat walking along the main road. They noticed her head tilt and her heavily pregnant belly on her emaciated frame.Despite being malnourished and unsteady on her feet, the cat was incredibly friendly and grateful to be found. She was brought to the vet and urgently needed a foster home as she was due to give birth soon.When volunteers at Best Friends Felines learned about her plight, they rallied their efforts to save her. KiffinBestFriendsFelinesA volunteer drove for hours to transport the deserving cat to her foster home. "She has been named Kiffin and has got a village surrounding her with love," Best Friends Felines shared.Her foster family prepared a comfortable area with nourishing food, plenty of clean water, and several litter boxes. Delighted with her new surroundings, she nestled beside her foster mom as if to thank her for taking her in. BestFriendsFelinesThey described her coat as "coarse and rough" and began feeding her high-quality kitten food to get her back into good health."Despite everything, Kiffin is incredibly sweet. She has the purest purr and the gruffest yet squeaky meows. She doesn't stop purring, and her little paws are always 'making biscuits.' How she hasn't been someone's best friend her whole life we will never understand." BestFriendsFelinesAs she gained weight and strength, her coat became fuller and shinier. Feeling stronger on her feet, she was ready to welcome her kittens into the world.Kiffin gave birth to a healthy litter of six in her loving foster home. She immediately took on her mom duties, purring contentedly. The first week was exhausting as she kept up with feeding and cleaning her demanding kittens. She gave birth to six kittensBestFriendsFelines"We were with her to give her a hand, making sure the kittens were kept clean and rotating them through their feeds to ensure the smaller kittens didn't miss out," Stacey, the foster mom, shared. "After a few days, we could tell she was getting the hang of things and got her strength back."The kittens made impressive weight gains, and they began opening their eyes early, indicating they were slightly overdue. BestFriendsFelinesKiffin felt at ease around her people, cherishing every moment with them. She watched as her foster mom weighed her kittens and showered them with gentle cuddles."We love Kiffin so much and have made it our mission to make sure she gets the most loving home." BestFriendsFelinesThe six kittens (five boys and one girl) grew by leaps and bounds. With their eyes wide open, they were eager to explore even though they were still finding their footing."They are already actively seeking out belly rubs and tickles. While feeding six babies, their beautiful mom has managed to regrow a lot of her missing fur and gain some weight. Her once very noticeable head tilt has improved dramatically." BestFriendsFelines"She has adjusted to her new indoor life with gratitude and grace and continues to awe us with her ever-so-loving personality."For the first time, Kiffin showed interest in toys and played with her foster mom. "Initially, she didn't know what I was doing, almost confused why I was shaking things at her, then it clicked. She liked hunting her little wand. Chasing and catching a toy mouse brought her so much joy." BestFriendsFelinesThe kittens dash over to their foster mom whenever she enters the room, excited to start their daily routine."Once Kiffin has had her breakfast, she likes to sit in my lap. As I finish with each kitten (with a health check and a weigh-in), she will feed them in my lap until they are all done. It is such a tender moment, where I feel she is so happy to have someone working with her to keep the babies safe." BestFriendsFelinesThe kittens have blossomed into plump, playful, carefree young cats, with some starting to show their seal-point markings. Their mom revels in their company and playful antics, her inner kitten emerging. BestFriendsFelinesShare this story with your friends. More on Kiffin, her kittens, and Best Friends Felines on Instagram and Facebook.Related story: Three Blind Cats Come to a Home Seeking Help, Family Brings Them in and Realizes One of Them is Pregnant

There Are Times I Can't EVEN With KBJ

A 13-year-old immigrant from Ecuador stabbed a man in New York City with help from three masked accomplices after the victim wouldn't photograph them, the New York Post reported, citing police and sources.A young teenage male and his comrades approached the 23-year-old victim around 9 p.m. Sunday at West 40th Street and Seventh Avenue and asked him to take a photo of them, police and sources told the Post.'We are seeing juveniles commit five, six, seven robberies.'When the man declined, the 13-year-old and the other three ganged up on the man, punching him in the face and stabbing him in the back and leg with a brass-knuckle knife, the paper said, citing authorities.Police added that they unsuccessfully tried to grab the victim's cellphone, the Post reported, adding that authorities and police said the victim refused medical attention as the stab wounds were superficial.The suspects ran off, but officers managed to nab the male teen in question after searching the area with the victim, police added to the paper.The Post said ViralNewsNYC first reported the incident. A pair of NYPD officers can be seen escorting a handcuffed young male into the Midtown Precinct South station in a video ViralNewsNYC posted to X.The 13-year-old male was charged with second-degree robbery, police and sources told the paper.The Post said his last known address is the Roosevelt Hotel, which has been converted into a immigrant shelter.Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa in September said illegals were flooding into the area "every day," according to the Post: "They're still checking in at the [city intake center at] the Roosevelt Hotel. And they have complete immunity. You arrest an illegal alien, they get cut loose."More from the paper:The arrested teen was previously busted Oct. 26 in connection to a chain snatching on a northbound F train at McDonald Avenue and Avenue X in Brooklyn, law enforcement sources said. Four other suspects were involved — with all five holding down the victim, who had been sleeping before the robbery but then tried to fight off the muggers, the sources said.The teen’s bust — just steps from the Crossroads of the World — came weeks after NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael Lipetri told the Post the force is “arresting juveniles at the highest level than we have ever seen before.”“We are seeing juveniles commit five, six, seven robberies," Lipetri said, according to the paper. "Most of them get dealt with under the Family Court statutes.” Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Georgia mother of four Brittany Patterson was blindsided when police showed up at her home to arrest her after her 10-year-old son was found walking alone. It began when she received a call from a sheriff’s deputy who had found her son, Soren, less than a mile from her home while she was at the doctor with her older son. “She seemed very concerned that something terrible was going to happen to him,” Patterson tells Glenn Beck of “The Glenn Beck Program.” “I was not concerned.” The police officer dropped him off back at home with Patterson’s father, who lives with the family. However, that’s when things took a turn. “They asked me to step outside, and put my hands behind my back. So at that point, I asked why. And the female officer said, ‘Because you’re under arrest.’ And so, again, I asked, ‘What am I under arrest for?’” Patterson explains, adding, “And for the second time, I didn’t get a straight answer.” The officer then explained it was “reckless endangerment,” which Patterson’s attorney told her “is not even a thing that exists in Georgia.” “That sounds like the Soviet Union,” Glenn comments, disturbed. ParentsUSA executive director and general counsel David DeLugas watched the body cam footage of the incident and overheard Brittney tell the police, “Last time I checked, it wasn’t illegal for a kid to walk to the store.” “And remarkably, the deputy immediately says, ‘It is when they’re 10,’” DeLugas explains. “And I assure everybody, it’s not illegal for a 10-year-old to be out and about walking. Not in the state of Georgia, it’s not.” “The statute Britt was charged with violating is actually called reckless conduct. And, hey, in 1997, the Georgia Supreme Court held that statute unconstitutional because it’s too vague and gives law enforcement too much power,” DeLugas continues. “You would think in what — 27 years? — law enforcement in Fannin County would figure out that that statute doesn’t apply.” Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A biological male won the "Model of the Year" award at the Fashion Awards in London, England, on Monday. Alex Consani grew in popularity on TikTok during the coronavirus pandemic and garnered 4 million followers on the platform as well as 1.5 million followers on Instagram. The model was signed to IMG Models in 2019, when Consani was only 16 years old. 'Change is more than possible — it’s needed.' Consani said that more needed to be done for transgender rights in a speech after receiving the award. “I’m the first trans woman to win this award,” said the model. “I can't accept this award without thanking those who came before me, specifically the Black trans women who really fought for the space I'm in today.” Consani thanked the model's parents for letting the TikToker pursue modeling at age 12. “Now, more than ever, it’s an important conversation that should be had about how to truly support and uplift one another within this industry, especially those who have been made to feel insignificant,” Consani continued. “Because change is more than possible — it’s needed.” Consani is originally from California. The model was applauded by left-wingers after becoming the first transgender model to be included at Victoria's Secret fashion center in October. Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over a ban on transgender surgeries for children. Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson claimed that one justification for the transgender bans was similar to that used to ban interracial marriage in order to claim both were unconstitutional. Consani's acceptance speech can be viewed in full at the YouTube page for the British Fashion Council. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Biden Just Gave a Billion to AFRICA but Now Worried Trump Will Divert FEMA Money to the Border

Dilly Dally Tally: Blue States are Still Counting Votes a Month after Election Day