Pete Hegseth was confirmed as Trump’s defense secretary despite allegations of sexual assault and spousal abuse

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
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

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- 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

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I photographed abortion clinics. What caught my eye hung on the walls Washington Post

How women’s wrestling picked men’s wrestling off the mat Wall 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