HAS HEGSETH TURNED A CORNER? So far, President-elect Donald Trump has filled or named candidates for more than 60 top jobs in his coming administration. Of those who have to be confirmed by the Senate, one (attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz) has been withdrawn, while three others — defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, health and human services secretary nominee Robert Kennedy Jr., and national intelligence director nominee Tulsi Gabbard — face significant opposition. With 53 Republicans in the next Senate, plus the tiebreaking vote of Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, Trump can afford to lose as many as three GOP senators and still confirm his nominees on a party-line vote. But if more than three Republicans oppose a nominee, that’s it, assuming unanimous Democratic opposition.

For a while, the Gaetz nomination got the most attention simply because Gaetz, besides his problems as a nominee, had alienated so many Republicans on Capitol Hill. The key moment in the nomination came when Trump determined that Gaetz did not have the votes for confirmation. Shortly after, Gaetz withdrew his name, and Trump quickly announced another nominee, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. The entire process took eight days, from the first announcement on Nov. 13 until Gaetz’s withdrawal on Nov. 21.