Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is getting to enjoy his honeymoon phase for a little while longer. Anti-establishment conservatives who fought his rise to leader remain satisfied with Thune’s performance and are cautiously optimistic as President Donald Trump turns up the pressure to confirm his nominees and advance his second-term agenda.

Even as handicappers adjudged Pete Hegseth ’s confirmation as secretary of Defense to be all but certain, not one but two Republican senators indicated a hard pass on the poorly qualified bad boy from Fox News.

In the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski had openly challenged or rebuked him at least three times.

President Donald Trump fired the inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies in a Friday night purge, according to a Trump administration official, paving the way for him to install his own picks overseeing the agencies.

US Senate Majority Leader John Thune highlighted the critical importance of confirming Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defence and Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, citing their vital roles in national and border security,

By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK and FARNOUSH AMIRI WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation’s defense secretary Friday in a dramatic late-night vote,

The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation's defense secretary in a late-night vote after questions about his qualifications and actions.

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky voted against President Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth.

The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth late Friday, swatting back questions about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon.

Three Republicans voted with every Democrat against Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Pentagon, forcing Vance to step in and put Hegseth over the top.

Pete Hegseth has vowed to bring his “warrior” ethos to the Pentagon. Democrats had assailed him as unfit for the job, and his confirmation came down to Vice President JD Vance serving as tiebreaker.

Many Republicans on Capitol Hill do not agree with President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon and commute sentences for more than 1,500 people charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack on the