Pete Hegseth Is A 'Real Cancer On The Military': Mikie Sherrill

Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill, a member of the Armed Services Committee, joins Balance of Power to discuss Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and how he should be fired over "signalgate" and other controversies as well as the future of the democratic party.

President Donald Trump said he will nominate Michael Waltz, his current national security adviser, to be the next US ambassador to the UN, sidelining a top aide who drew a wave of criticism for inadvertently adding a journalist to a Signal group chat where officials discussed sensitive attack plans.

Marco Rubio will serve as interim national security adviser while keeping his job as secretary of state, Trump said in a post on X. Trump said Waltz “has worked hard to put our Nation’s interests first.”

“I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” Waltz said in a post on X.

Waltz came under fire in March after he acknowledged inadvertently adding Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat group set up to discuss pending attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Trump had offered tepid support for Waltz in a recent interview, signaling his patience over the episode may have run out.

The move marks a consolidation of power for Rubio, the onetime Florida Senator who has transformed from Trump foil in the 2016 presidential campaign to one his most vocal and ardent supporters in the Cabinet. He took control of the US Agency for International Development after it was targeted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. He’s also acting head of the National Archives.

Like Waltz, Rubio had previously voiced hawkish views on Russia, China and Iran, but has sanded down those beliefs — at least publicly — in line with Trump’s son Donald Jr., Vice President JD Vance and the MAGA base.

It’s a downgrade for Waltz, who will, if confirmed, move to New York and lose his constant access to the Oval Office. The former Florida congressman will slot in for Representative Elise Stefanik, the New York Republican, whose nomination was pulled to protect Republicans’ slim majority in the house.

Vance cast the decision as a positive for Waltz, saying the former Florida congressman has both his and Trump’s support.

“I think you could make a good argument that it’s a promotion,” Vance told Fox News Thursday. “Donald Trump has fired a lot of people. He doesn’t give them Senate-confirmed appointments afterwards.”

Waltz’s deputy Alex Wong is also departing, according to several media reports. Wong had been singled out in a barrage of social-media posts by far-right activist Laura Loomer, who also took credit for the firings in April of several top national-security officials. The White House declined to comment.

On Thursday, Loomer wrote a one-word post on X — “SCALP” — that linked to an earlier post that called for Wong’s removal. His ouster, along with Loomer’s apparent role in the firings of several others, suggests that faction is gaining even more sway.

Waltz included Goldberg in the text thread days before the attack. The text group, which also included Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others, discussed details of plans for strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have staged numerous attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Trump later offered a muted defense of Waltz in an interview with Goldberg and other reporters with the Atlantic.

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