Leading Thursday's slate of four simultaneous confirmation hearings is Treasury Secretary pick Scott Bessent, an openly gay former Soros lieutenant who apparently literally got the nod for slapping together a graph (some of it in comic sans) validating convicted felon President-Elect Trump's bullshit claims that the stock market's gains in 2023 and 2024 corresponded to his poll numbers, that investors were pricing in a Trump win. Probably silly to expect that to come up at all in the hearing but the main reason for putting this one on top – even though it won't start until 10:30 EDT, a half hour after the others – is the subject of tariffs. Senators will be keen to know how Bessent plans to manage the Orange God Emperor's pledged intent to fuck up the economy by levying massive price increases on all sorts of consumer goods made with foreign components.
Next is newly-former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum's quest to become Secretary of the Interior, though his qualifications may be suspect because his state is technically on the nation's exterior given the border it shares with Canada. True, he'll bring more credibility to the position than he would have if he was the governor of Massachusetts or South Carolina, as those states are not interior at all, but he'll have to work harder than Wyoming or Illinois' governors would have.
Lee Zeldin's a douchebag, doesn't know shit about environmental policy, and should go back to Long Island to start a landscaping business instead of trying to become EPA Administrator.
Lastly, here's Day Two of not Matt Gaetz's hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Matt Gaetz may or may not be emailing Charles Grassley to remind him to get Bondi to pledge that the DOJ under her leadership won't be spying on people's Venmo accounts. Then Grassley will respond with "Fmr Congrssman Gatez, msg received // Sry forgt 2 ask Bondy bout Vizmo 2day. Was sry 2 not see u there at ur confrm hearing but blond lady u sent sd u wld be great atty gen // look forwd to confrming u 2 be nxt Atty General Mitt Gatez n will work togthr well in futr" at about 7 PM.