Tonight, Trump's controversial pick to run the Pentagon now on track for likely confirmation after being grilled at a Senate hearing.

Then Los Angeles on edge as dangerous winds fuel fears of new wildfires, the latest from California's governor Gavin Newsom.

And Elon Musk, who already owns X and Tesla, could be adding TikTok to his portfolio as the 11th hour gets underway on this Tuesday night.

Good evening. Once again, I am Stephanie Ruhl, and today, the first of Donald Trump's cabinet picks for his second administration

faced questioning in a confirmation hearing.

And this evening, it looks more and more likely that he's going to get confirmed.

Peter Hegsett, Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense took questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee.

He got a warm welcome mostly from Republicans

and a serious grilling from Democrats

over his past conduct and qualifications.

But one of the most closely watched senators

was Iowa Republican and Iraq war veteran, Joni Ernst.

Early on, she was very skeptical of his nomination,

but tonight somehow, voila, she says she'll support it.

Here's a bit of the action from the hearing.

Let's make it very clear for everyone here today.

As Secretary of Defense, will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles?

Senator, first of all, thank you for your service, as we discussed extensively as well. It's my privilege. And my answer is yes, exactly the way that

you caveated it. Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, combat rows, given

the standards remain high.

Will you appoint a senior level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and

response?

...