Presented by BP.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Zach Stanton. It's Friday, January 24th, and here's what's driving the day.

Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth looks set to cross the finish line tonight, albeit narrowly,

with a final confirmation vote on his nomination expected at 9 p.m. The Senate pushed it forward with a 51-49 procedural vote yesterday,

as Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski announced that they opposed the former Fox News host.

But two more Republicans would have to surprise by breaking ranks today in order to sink Hegeseth,

and that's not looking likely.

Senator Mitch McConnell,

who hadn't publicly declared his position, was a yes yesterday on advancing the nomination.

For more on the latest from the Senate and how it'll advance the Trump agenda, don't miss

this week's episode of Playbook Deep Dive, where our own Eugene Daniels talks with Chuck Grassley,

the President Pro Tem of the Senate, a man who with Chuck Grassley, the president pro tem of the

Senate, a man who, at 91, is the longest serving member of that body. Grassley is something

of a one-man institution. One of my favorite fun facts about him, actually, is that he first

ran for office during the Eisenhower administration back when he was running for Statehouse,

and he'll be crucial to the conversation about how Trump gets his agenda through Congress.

But the biggest story today comes as Donald Trump takes his first trip outside Washington

as president. First, he'll visit the Asheville area in western North Carolina, where he'll

survey the damage and ongoing recovery efforts some four months after Hurricane Helene slammed into

the state. Then he heads west to visit California,

as that state seeks to extinguish, rebuild, and recover from the wildfires

that have torn across the greater Los Angeles area.

...