A son of a Democratic political dynasty, Kennedy is seeking to become the nation's top health official under President Donald Trump.

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.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation's defense secretary Friday in a dramatic late-night vote, swatting back questions about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon amid allegations of heavy drinking and aggressive behavior toward women.

The former attorney general additionally said that it looks "increasingly more likely" that Trump will face an indictment from the Justice Department.

Statements from Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine set the stage for a close vote on Friday.

A federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s executive order that aims to restrict automatic citizenship to babies born on U.S. soil, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.” The order Mr. Trump signed on Monday would reverse decades of precedent and affect children born to undocumented or temporary immigrants.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. In this image made from video, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, center, arrives to attend an ...

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats to oppose Hegseth’s nomination. It was just the second time in history that a vice president has broken a tie for a Cabinet nominee – the other being then-Vice President Mike Pence ...

Vice President J.D. Vance cast the deciding vote to break a 50-50 tie after three Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and ... In 2017, then-Vice President Mike Pence cast the deciding vote for Betsy DeVos as education ...

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats to oppose Hegseth’s nomination. It was just the second time in history that a vice president has broken a tie for a Cabinet nominee – the other being then-Vice President Mike Pence ...

Republican Sen. Susan Collins voted Thursday against advancing President Donald Trump's choice for defense secretary, who has faced allegations of heavy drinking, financial mismanagement and abusive behavior toward women.