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wow.888 The Philadelphia Flyers are playing their best hockey of the season, but a fresh challenge awaits Thursday when they host the defending champion Florida Panthers. Philadelphia is 4-0-1 over its last five games with three overtime wins during that stretch. Rookie winger Matvei Michkov has scored OT goals in two of those victories. The 19-year-old Russian has three OT tallies in the last nine games, including Saturday's 3-2 win at St. Louis. "We've had some confidence with (overtime)," Philadelphia coach John Tortorella said. "Michkov has helped us quite a bit there. Last year, we struggled with it." The Flyers have had a nice break since Saturday's victory, though, so it remains to be seen if their recent momentum will carry over into Thursday's contest. One area that could help against Florida is the potential return of No. 1 goaltender Samuel Ersson, who has been out since Nov. 11 with a lower-body injury. Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov have split time in net during Ersson's absence with mixed results. Tortorella is grateful for the opportunity to evaluate both of his team's backup goalies, but he also wants to continue assessing Ersson, who is in his first full season as a team's primary netminder. "All this stuff with the injuries, the goalie, our No. 1 guy gone, it gives us an idea of what we have," Tortorella said. "And that's a big part of this year and, quite honestly, next (year) because there are no free agents coming. We have to keep on evaluating what we have in the organization." Florida, of course, knows what it has in its top goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky. However, the Russian netminder has been out lately while awaiting the birth of his child. He likely will miss Thursday's contest, as well, which could mean another start for Spencer Knight. Knight allowed five goals on 16 shots in Tuesday's overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins that left Panthers coach Paul Maurice with mixed emotions. "It was alright. I think that's how we felt about it," Maurice said. "I don't think we gave up a tremendous amount. I don't think we took advantage of some things that we normally do. I'm not 100 percent sure how I feel about that one." After winning their previous three games by a combined margin of 17-4, the Panthers trailed the Penguins 4-1 with under 14 minutes remaining. However, Matthew Tkachuk registered a goal and two assists in the third period to help force the extra session before his team ultimately fell short. "I guess it's a point that we're happy to get," said Tkachuk, who finished with two goals and two assists to surpass 600 points for his career. He now has 603 in his ninth season. "But when we fight back, you just really want to get that win." Joining Tkachuk with a multi-point effort was Jesper Boqvist (two assists), while his brother Adam Boqvist was among the other goal scorers for Florida. "We just know when we go out there that we can wear teams down," Adam Boqvist said. "I think we almost showed that tonight with the third period. Just move on from this." The Panthers defeated the Flyers 4-3 in a shootout last month in Florida. The teams will meet again Jan. 13 in Philadelphia. --Field Level MediaTEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the Tehran Times that Israel’s recent confirmation of Haniyeh’s assassination unequivocally validates Iran's rightful retaliatory response on October 1st when approximately 200 precision-guided ballistic missiles were launched at the occupied territories. “It was clear to Iran that Israel was behind the assassination from the beginning,” Baghaei said on Tuesday. “That’s why shortly after the attack, we registered a document with the UN and emphasized that Israel had violated Iran’s sovereignty and national integrity. We also noted that we have the legal right to respond.” Israel assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31, hours after he attended the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. A short-range projectile was fired from outside the Palestinian leader’s residence in Tehran. On Monday, Israeli war minister Israel Katz publicly acknowledged for the first time that the regime assassinated Haniyeh. He made the confession while making threats of similar terrorist attacks against Yemeni officials. While Iran’s response came two months after the assault, Western states condemned the country for attacking Israel “unprovoked”. “There were some who argued that we should have remained passive because there was no official Israeli claim of responsibility. However, our action was the necessary and justified response, and this latest development confirms that our approach was correct all along,” Baghaei stated, adding Tehran will probably be filing more documents on the matter at the UN. Imagine a world where international rules are mere suggestions, and certain states operate with a wink and a nod. That's the reality Israel seems to be navigating, emboldened by Washington’s shadow. Israel’s admission of the Haniyeh assassination comes a couple of days after the regime blatantly boasted about terrorist attacks that killed 30 and injured over 3,000 people in Lebanon in September. Two alleged former Mossad agents appeared in front of CBS’s camera to explain how the regime orchestrated widespread pager and walkie-talkie explosions on September 17 and 18. They claimed Israel was going after Lebanon’s Hezbollah Resistance movement but some of the deceased and many of the injured were women and children. When it comes to Gaza, there is not one war crime Israel has not yet committed. The regime has been starving the population, depriving it of water and medicine, targeting homes, hospitals, and schools, and raining bombs on tents housing the displaced so that it can watch women and children burn alive. All these admissions and evidence of brazen terrorist attacks and war crimes swirl around Israel, yet the international community's ability to hold them accountable feels like a broken record stuck on repeat. Why? Because the U.S., with its veto power at the UN, effectively acts as Israel’s shield, turning the global body into a toothless tiger when it comes to restraining Israeli actions. Every attempt to condemn or every resolution seeking accountability meets the stone wall of Washington’s opposition, rendering the UN's collective voice a muted whisper. Whenever the U.S. lacks unfettered control in an organization or is not a member, it uses coercion to prevent any pressure on Israel. A clear example of this is the case of the International Criminal Court (ICC), where American senators spent months threatening its judges in a bid to thwart the issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former war minister Yoav Gallant. The behavior of American officials has led to a climate where Israel can not only commit acts of aggression but can practically flaunt them, knowing that meaningful consequences are unlikely to materialize. It's a high-stakes drama playing out on the world stage, where impunity reigns supreme and the very foundations of international justice are under assault.

The unique desert governance model of Kubuqi Desert has been widely recognized internationally and has become a global benchmark for environmental governanceThe dividend yield on the average stock has fallen over the past year due to the surge in the stock market. For example, the S&P 500 's dividend yield has declined from 1.6% a year ago to around 1.2% these days, which is near its lowest level in over 20 years. However, some stocks still offer higher-yielding dividends . Enterprise Products Partners ( EPD 1.51% ) , Clearway Energy ( CWEN 0.46% ) ( CWEN.A 0.91% ) , and Brookfield Renewable ( BEP 1.59% ) ( BEPC 2.24% ) stand out to a few Fool.com contributors as great stocks to buy as we head into the new year. Here's why they're great income stocks to buy right now. Enterprise Products Partners is built to pay you well Reuben Gregg Brewer (Enterprise Products Partners): How about buying an investment-grade-rated energy company with a shockingly reliable business and a 6.5% yield? If that sounds good to you, then you may want to buy North American midstream giant Enterprise Products Partners before 2024 is over. From a business perspective, this high-yielder owns the energy infrastructure that helps move oil and natural gas around the world. The energy sector couldn't operate without the pipelines, storage, transportation, and processing assets Enterprise owns. And its customers are happy to pay the fees necessary to use Enterprise's infrastructure, making the master limited partnership (MLP) a simple toll-taker business. The big takeaway -- volatile commodity prices aren't the main driver of financial results. This is a big part of the reason it has been able to reliably increase its distribution for 26 consecutive years. Throw in an investment-grade-rated balance sheet and the fact that distributable cash flow covers the distribution by around 1.7 times, and there's a lot of room for adversity before a distribution cut would be a material risk. Sure, the lofty yield will make up most of an investor's return here, but Enterprise does have around $6.9 billion in capital investment projects underway and the size to act as an industry consolidator. Slow and steady distribution growth looks likely to continue for years to come from this high yielder. The power to grow its dividend in 2025 and beyond Matt DiLallo (Clearway Energy ): Clearway Energy currently offers investors a 6.5% dividend yield. That's a hefty payout compared to the S&P 500 , which yields around 1.2%. The clean energy infrastructure owner is having another solid year. It's on track to meet or exceed its guidance of generating $395 million of cash available for distribution (CAFD) this year. That has given it the power to increase its dividend by 7% over the course of the year, hitting its goal of delivering dividend growth toward the high end of its 5% to 8% annual target range. Clearway has already lined up a lot of growth for 2025 and beyond. It expects previously funded investments to grow its CAFD to $420 million at the mid-point of its target range. That should enable it to increase its dividend by about 6.8% over the next year. The company already has more growth lined up for 2026 and is building toward 2027. It has secured several new investments in renewable energy projects that will enter commercial service over the next year and has started securing new contracts for its natural gas-fired power plants. These initiatives should help grow CAFD per share at a 7.5% to 12.5% compound annual rate in the 2026 to 2027 timeframe from next year's baseline. That should support another 6.5% increase in the dividend in 2026 and growth toward the lower end of its target range the following year. Beyond 2027, Clearway sees the potential to continue growing its CAFD and dividend at a mid- to high-single-digit annual rate as it continues investing in new renewable energy assets. Given its already high yield, Clearway has the potential to produce high total returns in the coming years as it grows its CAFD and dividend payments . That combination of yield and growth makes it look like a great income stock to buy before this year is over. Lots more dividend growth ahead Neha Chamaria (Brookfield Renewable) : Shares of Brookfield Renewable have significantly underperformed the S&P 500 in 2024. Still, Brookfield Renewable has big growth plans, is steadily growing its funds from operations (FFO ), and is sending out bigger dividend checks to its shareholders year after year. Brookfield Renewable grew its FFO per unit by around 7% during the nine months that ended Sept. 30 and expects to grow it by more than 10% in the full year, backed by its recent acquisitions and development projects. In fact, 2024 will be the company's strongest year for investments in growth as it continues to steadily raise cash to invest from two sources: cash-flow growth and proceeds from the sale of mature assets. In 2024 alone, Brookfield Renewable expects to commission 7 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity, a record for the company. Its total development pipeline soared to a whopping 200 GW at the end of the third quarter. Brookfield Renewable expects to grow its pipeline even further in 2025 and 2026 and believes it should be able to grow its annual FFO per unit by 10% or more over the next five years and beyond. For investors, Brookfield Renewable's FFO growth should translate into bigger dividends. The company expects to grow its annual dividend by 5% to 9%. Couple that with a high dividend yield -- its corporate shares currently yield 5.1%, while units of the partnership yield 6.3% -- and Brookfield Renewable looks like a solid dividend stock to buy before 2024 draws to a close. Note that purchasing corporate shares can help investors in the U.S. avoid filing a K-1 tax form and foreign tax withholding.

Geraldo Rivera is making amends with the father of JonBenét Ramsey. After John Ramsey’s daughter was found murdered at 6 years old in the basement of her family’s Colorado home in 1996, the journalist, 81, staged a mock murder trial on television. On Monday, during NewsNation’s “Cuomo,” Rivera addressed the mock trial that aired on his daytime talk show, “The Geraldo Rivera Show,” in 1997, telling Ramsey, “I deeply apologize to you for what you and your family have suffered.” During the episode, the political commentator’s “jury” found Ramsey and his wife, Patsy Ramsey, liable for their daughter’s death, per NewsNation . Rivera continued, “No one deserves to go through what you went through. That’s my bottom line. And when I walk around and it is with stories like yours in my head over the last 54 years of my career, I, it is a burden to me. It’s a soulful burden. And again, man to man, to you, I apologize, and I am sorry for everything you have gone through, John.” Ramsey responded, “Geraldo, I accept your apology and thank you.” Ramsey and the tragedy has been back in the spotlight since the November release of the Netflix three-part docuseries “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?” , which premiered on Nov. 25. The 80-year-old has been vocal for decades about what he considers to be missteps made by authorities during their investigation. John also acknowledged how the media frenzy only made things worse at the time. Ramsey and Patsy, who has since died, became persons of interest after JonBenét was found sexually assaulted and strangled to death on Dec. 26. Earlier that morning, Patsy found a ransom note demanding $118,000 in exchange for her youngest child’s safe return. No member of the Ramsey family, including the couple’s son Burke who was nine at the time, has ever been charged in connection with the case. Despite several people falling under suspicion, no arrests have ever been made. Today, Ramsey now wants state-of-the-art labs that use genetic genealogy and other advanced DNA technology to crack the cold case. He claims that there are seven items from the crime scene that have never been tested, or were examined with outdated methods. “We’re begging the police to engage,” Ramsey told People last month. “There are cutting-edge DNA labs that want to help and who believe they can move the case forward.” However, the Boulder Police Department disputed the claims they were not pursuing all leads and said progress is, in fact, being made. “The assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing — to include DNA testing — is completely false,” the department said in a statement post on X , formerly Twitter, last month. “Additionally, it was the Boulder Police Department — not the Colorado Bureau of Investigation — who convened the Cold Case Review Panel in December 2023 as part of its investigation efforts,” the post added.Health In Tech Announces Closing of Initial Public Offering

Three put on remandWall Street bulls mounted a valiant effort and pushed the stock market sharply Friday on a double dose of encouraging news. But the rally was not enough to overcome Wednesday's Fed-driven plunge. The S&P 500 dropped for the second straight week, losing 2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average made it three down weeks in a row, with a loss of more than 2.2%. The Nasdaq posted a 1.8% weekly decline, breaking a four-week winning streak. Looking under the hood of the S&P 500, all sectors closed lower for the week, despite Friday's rally. Energy was the worst-performing sector followed by real estate and materials. Investors got several important updates this week that influenced markets — the most consequential being the Fed's 25-basis-point interest rate cut at the conclusion of its December two-day meeting on Wednesday afternoon. While the move was largely expected, the market took issue with the monetary policy committee's more hawkish outlook on rate cuts in 2025. The so-called dot plot, which illustrates central bankers' future rate expectations, pointed to a committee consensus that it will be appropriate to reduce rates only twice next year, half the number of moves indicated back in September. There is no denying that rate expectations are important, but we would caution Club members from allowing updates like this to weigh on investment decisions too heavily. While we now know who will sit in the White House come Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, and have since received more updates on inflation and the job market, nobody truly knows what 2025 will bring. There will be countless updates on inflation, rates, geopolitics, and more over the coming months, some of which we can see coming and some that will completely surprise us. The Fed, as it has been and as it should, will adjust its outlook accordingly. While we certainly don't want to fight the Fed, we also don't want to let every word out the mouth of a Fed official have us running to our brokerage account and making sweeping changes to our exposure. Rather, as long-term investors, we have the luxury of knowing that when the market might overreact to updates from the Fed or any other event, it can provide us with opportunities to buy shares in great companies with staying power. This is exactly what we did last week as the market got more and more oversold, according to our trusted S&P 500 Short Range Oscillator . In other words, keep focused on the fundamentals and use the volatility to your advantage. The other big update came Friday, with the cooler-than-expected personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Federal Reserve's favorite inflation gauge. Headline November PCE showed a 2.4% increase versus the 2.5% gain expected. Core PCE, excluding volatile food and energy prices, rose 2.8% year over year versus the 2.9% increase expected. While still above the Fed's 2% target inflation rate, the PCE data was just what the oversold market needed, and it was off to the races, turning sharp premarket losses into a powerful Friday rally. Helping the market take another leg higher, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee told CNBC in a Friday interview that "rates come down a fair bit more" if the economic conditions over the last 18 months continue over the next 12 to 18 months. Goolsbee's comments soothed a nervous market following Wednesday's hawkish remarks from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell in his post-meeting news conference. Not to mention, if rates do remain higher for longer, that's not exactly a bad thing as it almost certainly means that the economy is still growing, and we would much rather be in a market contending with high rates because the economy is strong than a market benefiting from low rates because the economy is struggling to avoid a recession. In other economic news last week, November retail sales came in mixed, with the headline number outpacing expectations. The results, however, were short when stripping out automotive and gasoline sales. November's industrial production and capacity utilization were short versus expectations. The third and final read on third-quarter gross domestic product was better than estimates. On the release, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said the update GDP, measuring U.S. economic activity, "primarily reflected upward revisions to exports and consumer spending that were partly offset by a downward revision to private inventory investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, were revised up." November housing starts disappointed, but November existing home sales edged out expectations. Within the portfolio, no companies reported earnings, however, we did initiate a new position in Goldman Sachs while trimming and downgrading Morgan Stanley to a 3 rating . As noted in Thursday's trade alert , we started making the switch because Goldman Sachs' exposure to investment banking is much more significant than Morgan Stanley's exposure — and if capital markets activity accelerates over the next few years as many analysts expect, we'll want to be invested with the highest quality investment bank. We also opted to trim and downgrade our position in Advanced Micro Devices to our 3 rating. While initially thinking AMD would prove a winner as it provides alternatives to Club name Nvidia , what we're seeing now is that Nvidia is even more deeply entrenched than we thought and when companies do look for alternatives, they're more so focused on custom chip solutions, like those made by Broadcom and Marvell Technology , than they are on general GPU alternatives. While we like Broadcom for the long haul, we did trim and downgrade the stock after it went parabolic after strong earnings the prior week. Looking ahead, it will be a light week with the stock market closing at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday and closing all day on Wednesday for Christmas Day. That said, November new home sales are out Tuesday. Housing reports have been and will continue to be a key watch item for investors given that shelter cost inflation has proven extremely sticky and a key source of upward pressure on inflation, which is in turn keeping rates elevated. However, investors should take any positive update from Tuesday's report with a grain of salt. Mortgage rates rebounded following the Fed's rate announcement on Wednesday, and investors are going to be far more focused on figuring out what that means for home sales and affordability going forward than what's in this backward-looking release. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable TrusT.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris McCausland's inspirational Alternative Christmas Message

Grey Bull Rescue's Bryan Stern has pored through prison records and searched secret cells looking for U.S. journalist Austin Tice. A hostage rescue operator in Syria offered a glimmer of holiday hope in the case of a missing U.S. journalist, telling Fox News Digital he believes Austin Tice is alive and is hopeful that he will be found soon. While refusing to divulge sensitive details, Grey Bull Rescue’s Bryan Stern asserted that he has intelligence that leads him to believe the 43-year-old Marine veteran and reporter who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 is alive, or at least was up until recently. "I would say 100%, I would bet that he is alive, or at least was as of two weeks ago," Stern told Fox News Digital from his hotel room in Syria. "I would bet that he's being cared for and tended to," he went on. "I further submit that, he's findable," he went on. "We don’t recover dead bodies. Not to say that we wouldn’t, but we’re a nonprofit, we wouldn’t be putting resources toward that, freezing to death, missing my fourth Christmas with my family, if I didn’t believe he was alive and findable." TRUMP COULD FACE RENEWED ISIS THREAT IN SYRIA AS TURKEY GOES AFTER US ALLY Stern has been searching through prisons looking for U.S. journalist Austin Tice. (Bryan Stern/Grey Bull Rescue ) Stern has led high-level rescue missions in some of the most dangerous corners of the world, including Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, Israel, Haiti, Lebanon and the U.S. during natural disasters. "We have done 12 jailbreaks from Russia ," said Stern. "That is 12 more than the CIA." The ousting of Bashar al-Assad and subsequent takeover of Syria by HTS has offered the Biden administration and Tice’s family a renewed sense of hope that the journalist could be found. "He could have died of a stomach bug three years ago. And we just don't know. I don't think that that's the case," said Stern. "I have no reason to believe that that's the case. There's not a single piece of information, circumstantial or otherwise, that indicate anything near that. In fact, everything I have is counter to that." The Syrian government for more than a decade refused to negotiate the release of Tice, who was abducted while reporting on the uprising against the Assad regime during the early stages of the Syrian civil war, which ultimately ended earlier this month after the Syrian president was ousted and fled to Moscow. TRUMP SAYS TURKEY ‘DID AN UNFRIENDLY TAKEOVER’ IN SYRIA AS US-BROKERED CEASE-FIRE APPEARS TO FAIL Stern Stern has led high-level rescue missions in some of the most dangerous corners of the world. (Bryan Stern/Grey Bull Rescue ) The mood in Syria is "cautiously happy" after decades of brutal oppression, according to Stern, and while the new governing force HTS is "not standing in the way" of finding Tice, they’re more preoccupied with learning how to govern than assisting in the search efforts. The most likely scenario, according to Stern, is that Tice is being detained in a home in a neighborhood, looked after by Assad-friendly Alawites, the same branch of Islam as the former leader. Many of the country's prisons have now been searched or emptied and he doesn't believe President Vladimir Putin would hold Tice in Russia. "The relationship between Assad and Putin is significantly overblown. [Assad] has been there over two weeks and they haven't even seen each other," said Stern. "The Russians are like we don't need this problem, that is a great way to p--- off soon-to-be-President Trump, I mean who was obsessed with the Austin Tice case years ago." Investigators believe Tice escaped years ago but was found in just such a neighborhood in Damascus and thrown back in detainment. The State Department’s Rewards for Justice office is offering a $10 million reward for any information leading to the finding of Tice, but Stern said he believes anyone with information is more driven by tribal loyalty than monetary reward. The Grey Bull team has pored through prison records looking for Tice. (Bryan Stern/Grey Bull Rescue ) "Assad is living the good life in the tower in Moscow. But make no mistake, he still has reach inside of Syria," said Stern. "Half of the new government were Assad guys last week." "That tribal nexus plus the fear of Bashar Assad being able to reach out and touch people still in Syria, why would they come forward?" Another group working with Grey Bull asserted this week that they believe Tice is alive. "We have data that Austin is alive till January 2024, but the president of the U.S. said in August that he is alive, and we are sure that he is alive today," Nizar Zakka, president of Hostage Aid Worldwide, said Tuesday, according to multiple reports. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "We are trying to be as transparent as possible and to share as much information as possible." Zakka offered little evidence to back up its statements made from a press conference in Damascus, though he reportedly used an image to demonstrate the locations where Tice was held from November 2017 to February 2024. U.S. Hostage Aid Worldwide has engaged with Tice’s family and U.S. authorities in the hunt for Tice, and the Biden administration has echoed a message of hope that Tice is alive, despite months of little word about his whereabouts.Washington — A number of Republican senators have expressed concern about Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Defense Department, potentially putting his intended nomination at risk. Hegseth, who has been meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill this week to try to build support ahead of his confirmation hearings, has faced a round of negative stories involving allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement at veterans' charities , repeated intoxication and infidelity. "Some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is, it's going to be difficult," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters Tuesday. "Time will tell." Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, also said he found the allegations "disturbing" but added, "We all love a good redemption story." Cramer suggested Hegseth's alleged behavior stemmed from alcohol abuse, adding that "almost everything else can come from that one abuse." Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who noted he has also read the reporting and is aware of the allegations, said Hegseth will have to address them. "I want to know if they are true and I want to hear his side of the story and he is going to have to address them," he said Tuesday, adding that he wasn't sure if Hegseth's nomination would face headwinds. On Monday, the New Yorker reported that before he became a full-time Fox News host, Hegseth was forced to step down from two nonprofit advocacy groups — Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America — amid complaints about his alleged behavior that included repeatedly being intoxicated while on the job, leading a hostile work environment and mismanaging the charities' funds. CBS News reported that Jessie Jane Duff, a Marine veteran who served as one of Trump's 2024 campaign executive directors, was among those who pushed to have him ousted from Concerned Veterans for America in 2016. A lawyer for Hegseth has denied the allegations. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican, said Tuesday that the allegations "are a surprise to all of us" and that his ability to be confirmed by the Senate "depends on how he addresses the issues that have been raised." Lummis said the allegations also came as a surprise to Trump. "Some of the earlier issues that were raised about an incident in California, I think were satisfactorily addressed and would not have interfered with his nomination, but some new things that have come to light in the last 12 to 14 hours are things he needs to address," she said. Hegseth, an Army veteran turned Fox News star, was investigated for sexual assault in 2017 in Monterey, California. Authorities declined to file charges in the case, saying none were "supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt." Hegseth told investigators that the sexual encounter with the woman was consensual and he has denied any wrongdoing. He paid a confidential settlement to the woman out of concern that her accusation could result in his firing from Fox News, his lawyer said after the claims became public in mid-November. But Sen. Tommy Tuberville pushed back on the notion that Trump may have concern about his pick. "I talked to him last night," the Alabama Republican said Tuesday. "I don't think there's any concern. Why would there be?" Asked Monday whether he thought the Senate would confirm him to lead the Pentagon, Hegseth said he was "taking it meeting by meeting." Trump has already had one Cabinet pick withdraw from the process. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida pulled his name from consideration amid scrutiny over allegations of sex trafficking and illicit drug use, which he denies. Alan He contributed to this report. United States Senate Donald Trump Pete Hegseth Defense Department Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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