The Evening: Hegseth vows to fight for defense post

Also, the police are chasing several leads in New York manhunt.

View in browser|nytimes.com December 5, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. Hegseth's search for votes on Capitol Hill Leads in the New York manhunt Plus, exhibiting the world's priciest dinosaur Pete Hegseth on Capitol Hill today. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Hegseth is fighting to keep his nomination alive Pete Hegseth, who Donald Trump picked to be defense secretary, pledged today to continue to fight for the role, even as several Republican senators have already expressed concern about allegations that he committed sexual assault and drank to excess. Hegseth met this afternoon with senators whose voters could be crucial. One vote that lawmakers believe to be especially crucial is Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa. She is the Senate's first female combat veteran and many Republican officials believe that without her approval, his chances for confirmation are as good as dead. After meeting with Hegseth yesterday, she said today that he had yet to earn her support. On Capitol Hill today, Hegseth dismissed questions about his past conduct, including allegations of sexual impropriety and mismanagement of his veterans nonprofits. He insisted he is now a different person, adding: "That's a redemption story that I think a lot of Americans appreciate." Some people close to Trump suggested that there was a "less than 50 percent" chance that Hegseth will get confirmed, our politics reporter Jonathan Swan said. "Even as Donald Trump has insisted to Hegseth himself that he's got his back, Trump has been very seriously entertaining the idea of replacing Hegseth," Jonathan said. In other politics news: Hegseth has praised the brutal religious military campaigns of the past and has called for a Christian approach to governing. The Trump Organization is expected to announce an ethics policy without a ban on foreign deals. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries that seek to undermine the dollar's global reserve currency status. Experts suggest it could have the opposite effect. The president-elect's choice for attorney general is known for her charm and fealty to him. Caitlin Ochs for The New York Times Police are chasing several leads in New York manhunt The authorities in New York City said they have not identified or located the man they believe fatally shot a health insurance executive in Midtown Manhattan yesterday. But they appeared today to be getting closer. Here's the latest. Two images were released by the police today that showed the face of the man they believe killed Brian Thompson, the head of UnitedHealthcare. A senior law enforcement official said that the man had used a fake New Jersey identification on Nov. 30 to book a room at a hostel on the Upper West Side. The authorities also said they were investigating messages found on bullet casings at the scene of the shooting. The words on the casings include "delay" and "deny," possible references to ways that health insurance companies seek to avoid paying patients' claims. Thompson's killing has unleashed a torrent of criticism of insurance companies, in particular the one he led, over claim denials. For more: Here's what we know about the attack. Syrian antigovernment fighters on the streets of Hama today. Abdulaziz Ketaz/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Rebels stormed a major city in Syria Syrian rebels advanced today into the city of Hama, one of Syria's largest cities, as government forces withdrew. The move, just days after the rebels extended their control over Aleppo, brings the opposition forces one step closer to Damascus, the seat of power of President Bashar al-Assad. The sudden rebel advance has shifted the front lines in Syria's 13-year-old civil war for the first time in years. Here's a map of the advances. Ricardo Tomás Some people are microdosing Ozempic Health influencers are fueling the popularity of microdosing weight loss drugs. People take a very small amount of a drug like Ozempic to lose weight without side effects. It is not likely to be harmful. But doctors we spoke to said they don't know if it actually works. More top news New York City: The City Council passed a plan to create 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years. Gaza: The Israeli military bombed a densely populated tent encampment in a humanitarian zone, saying the airstrike targeted senior Hamas militants. Israel: Amnesty International became the first major international human rights organization to accuse the country of carrying out genocide in Gaza. South Korea: In a rambling testimony to Parliament, the Army chief of staff described being at a loss over how to proceed after the president declared martial law. France: A day after his government fell in a no-confidence vote, President Emmanuel Macron lashed out at his political opponents and declared that he would not step down. Weather: Temperatures are expected to plunge as another round of wet, messy, windy storms move through the Mid-Atlantic, the Northeast and the Upper Midwest. Ethiopia: The Times had a rare look into Tigray, where the crisis from the civil war hasn't ended and conflict has broken out in the neighboring state of Amhara. Business: The chief executive of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, is on pace to avoid $8 billion in taxes on his family. TIME TO UNWIND The New York Times The most stylish people of 2024 It was an election year. An Olympic year. A year of brats and cowboys, witches and swans. Amid it all, a few fashionable people stood out. Our Styles desk made a list of the most stylish people and characters of 2024, including Kim Yeji, the Olympic South Korean sharpshooter, and Jools Lebron, the content creator who made the world a more demure place. Check out the full list. More style: When Notre-Dame reopens this week, the clergy will be wearing liturgical garb designed by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. James Estrin/The New York Times You can see the world's priciest dinosaur fossil up close A dinosaur fossil that was purchased this summer for a record $44.6 million has a new home: the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The museum announced today that it will exhibit the 11-foot stegosaurus fossil, nicknamed Apex, for the next four years, beginning this weekend. The plate-backed, spiky-tailed herbivore is said to have walked the Earth about 150 million years ago in what is present-day Colorado. Alvaro Dominguez Dinner table topics How did I do? Dentists, doctors, professors and dry cleaners. It seems everyone is asking to be reviewed. Spotify Wrapped: Some users are disappointed with the music app's annual roundup of their streaming habits, saying the new features and presentation are unimaginative. A visionary painter: A jaw-dropping show in Connecticut gives Martha Diamond her due. The Winter Arc: A trending wellness challenge asks you to lock in for three months. Some take it to an extreme. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Linda Xiao for The New York Times Cook: This miso leeks recipe is a reinterpretation of a classic French dish. Watch: My colleague explained the hype behind this season's hottest holiday movies. Read: "Gabriel's Moon" follows a writer who is drawn into an espionage plot and a global crisis. Listen: Here's Jennifer Hudson's festive holiday playlist. Game: These were the best video games of 2024. Bundle: Wirecutter picked out the best wearable sleeping bag. Hunt: Which Northern California home would you buy with a $1.35 million budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. ONE LAST THING Pantone Will this really be the color of 2025? Each December, Pantone announces a color that its prognosticators think will define the coming year. For 2024, it was Peach Fuzz. For 2025, the company said its color of the year will be Mocha Mousse — a nougaty brown reminiscent of luxury knitwear, or perhaps swamp water. Pantone said the color appeals "to our desire for comfort." But in an oversaturated world, and after a year where "Brat" green dominated, does Mocha Mousse stand a chance? Reporters and editors on our Styles desk debated that question, and they want to know what you think. Have a defining evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Philip Pacheco was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Need help? 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