The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer

Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth clears a hurdle towards confirmation despite new Republican opposition. This as new details are now emerging about a $50,000 payment Hegseth made to a woman who accused him of sexual assault. Also, President Trump loses the first legal test of his bid to end birthright citizenship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump begins the process of wiping out diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the federal government. All DEI staffers are ordered on administrative leave after the deadline passed just a little while ago. Plus, as more January 6th rioters go free, sources now say the Trump White House is in talks to host some of the convicts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump is defiant tonight in defending his sweeping pardons and commutations of January 6th rioters including leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. Plus, the president intensifies his shakeup of the Justice Department by sidelining top prosecutors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A looming ban on TikTok could become a reality in just hours after the Supreme Court unanimously cleared the way. Donald Trump suggests he may step in to save the popular app. Plus, the Trump inauguration is moving indoors as the nation’s capital is threatened by frigid weather on Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

War ravaged Gaza awaits the next steps in the ceasefire-hostage deal as CNN is told the full Israeli cabinet is now expected to vote on the deal on Saturday. This as far-right members of the Netanyahu government are threatening to quit if the deal moves forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is expected to begin Sunday after 15 months of war and bloodshed. Key Biden White House official John Kirby joins to discuss the path forward in the Middle East and the United States’ role in finally sealing this deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are getting a read on Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat and war veteran who took place in the hearing, joins to discuss the confirmation hearing. Plus, just weeks before the infernos in Los Angeles, local firefighters publicly warned they were at a breaking point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Forecasters now say the return of powerful winds could lead to an explosive growth of the blaze that is still raging in the Los Angeles region, threatening progress made by firefighters. Plus, a look at California’s worsening insurance crisis. Also, the final report of the January 6th federal election subversion case against Trump could be released within hours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Residents in Los Angeles are coming to grips with unimaginable devastation. Thousands of people have lost everything in an instant. According to a CNN investigation, widespread fire destruction was inevitable but damage could have been minimized. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More than 180,000 people are under evacuation orders tonight, as forecasters warn that ferocious winds are returning to Los Angeles County, adding fresh fuel to an already dire situation. Plus, former presidents pay respects to President Jimmy Carter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Southern California, catastrophic wildfires are ripping through the Los Angeles area, forcing thousands to evacuate, scorching entire neighborhoods, and killing at least two people so far. Plus, in Washington, Donald Trump is making final preparations before he takes the oath of office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump comes out swinging at special counsel Jack Smith as a federal judge blocks the release of the report on the president-elect's criminal investigations. Trump lays out his grievances and his plans for the Justice Department during a lengthy news conference. Plus, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces major changes for both Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Congress officially seals Donal Trump's presidential victory. Today's certification drawing zero obligations from lawmakers exactly four years after a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol. Plus, Rudy Giuliani has just been held in contempt by a federal judge for failing to turn over information to those two Georgia election workers he defamed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A New York judge is ordering Donald Trump to appear for sentencing one week from today after rejecting the President-elect’s efforts to throw out his wish money conviction. Also, speaker Mike Johnson survived a dramatic vote on the House floor to keep his gavel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Exclusive new footage emerges of the New Orleans attacker unloading the truck used in the slaughter on Bourbon Street as authorities now believe he acted alone. The Louisiana state attorney general joins with an update on the investigation. We examine how ISIS remains a deadly threat around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preparations are underway for the state funeral of Jimmy Carter. As we examine the legacy of the late president, we bring you the latest details on how Carter will be honored by President Biden just days before the Trump inauguration. Plus, what investigators are now learning of the deadly crash of a passenger plane in South Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Investigators dig deeper into the possibility that Russia may be responsible for the deadly crash of a passenger plane. A United States official is saying Moscow’s air defenses potentially misidentified the jet as a Ukrainian drone. Plus, Elon Musk is at the center of a new feud within President-elect Trump’s MAGA base. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new United Staes assessment that a Russian anti-aircraft system may have downed a passenger plane in neighboring Kazakhstan. We provide an update on the deadly crash as questions swirl over who is to blame. Plus, President-elect Trump leaves a trail of provocative Christmas Day posts threatening and insulting United States allies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New details in the just released House Ethics Committee report on Matt Gaetz including texts and other evidence that the former Republican congressman paid tens of thousands of dollars for drugs and sex, including with a 17-year-old girl. Plus, Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to New York State terror and murder charges in the killing of the Unitedhealthcare CEO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United States House of Representatives appears to be on the verge of approving a bill to avert a federal shutdown. President Biden was essentially nowhere to be found publicly during this debate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices