Good Tuesday afternoon. Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, was on the hot seat today before the Senate, California is under another “Particularly Dangerous Situation” alert for wildfires, and Lester Holt has an NBC News Exclusive interview with Iran’s president.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 |
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Tuesday, January 14, 2025 |
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Good Tuesday afternoon. Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, was on the hot seat today before the Senate, California is under another “Particularly Dangerous Situation” alert for wildfires, and Lester Holt has an NBC News Exclusive interview with Iran’s president. Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
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Trump defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth grilled by senators at confirmation hearing |
| Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, clashed with Democrats as he defended himself against allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking during his confirmation hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee. Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News host, called the allegations that have surfaced against him a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media.” Under questioning, Hegseth denied a 2017 sexual assault accusation, and spoke about his vow to abstain from drinking if he’s confirmed, though he would not commit to resigning if he breaks that pledge. Senators also questioned Hegseth about his past comments stating that women should not serve in combat roles. Hegseth said that under his leadership, women would have “access” to combat roles as long as they “meet the same high standards” as men. |
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Strong winds bring “extremely critical” fire conditions to California burn zone |
Tens of thousands of residents in the Los Angeles area have been warned they may need to evacuate at a moment’s notice, as intensifying winds bring “extremely critical” fire conditions to the region where massive wildfires continue to rage. An unprecedented fourth “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning went into effect this morning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and will last through noon Wednesday. These Santa Ana winds are bringing gusts up to 75 mph, and could cause “explosive fire growth,” the National Weather Service warned. The wind-fueled fires have left at least 24 people dead and destroyed more than 12,000 homes and buildings, officials said. The largest blaze, the Palisades Fire, has now grown to 23,713 acres and is 17% contained, according to Cal Fire. |
Lester Holt Interviews Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian |
Lester Holt has just returned from Iran, where he sat down with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for an NBC News Exclusive interview that will air on our broadcast this evening. With Donald Trump set to return to the White House, Holt asked Pezeshkian about the alleged Iran-directed plot to assassinate the president-elect, which led to federal charges against three men. Pezeshkian denied that such a plot ever existed, calling the allegations a “foreign scheme” designed to “feed into Iranophobia.” Holt and Pezeshkian spoke in Iran via a government interpreter. NBC News independently reviewed the translation. |
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Special counsel report says Trump would have been convicted in election interference case |
President-elect Donald Trump engaged in an “unprecedented criminal effort” to overturn his loss in the 2020 election, Special Counsel Jack Smith wrote in his final report made public early today. Smith wrote that if it weren’t for Trump’s “imminent return to the Presidency,” he believes that a jury would have convicted him based upon the evidence the special counsel’s team had amassed. A standing Justice Department policy barring the prosecution of a sitting president does not alter the "gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government's proof, or the merits of the prosecution,” Smith wrote. Trump blasted the report on social media, saying he is “totally innocent,” and calling Smith a “lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election.” |
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What else we're watching: |
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Princess Kate has announced she is in remission from cancer months after finishing chemotherapy treatment. |
The FBI has released a new image of the man who killed 14 people in a terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, as it seeks more information in the case from the public. |
This former first lady will skip President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week. |
Flu activity is at extremely high levels across much of the United States and will likely remain so for the next several weeks, the CDC said. |
Starbucks is reversing its open-door policy. |
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Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app. |
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