It’s Wednesday, January 15. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Coming up: Should Angelenos be saved from price gouging? American kids can’t be shielded from porn. “TikTok refugees” are flocking to another Chinese app. And much more.
But first: An alleged womanizer takes the stand in Washington, D.C.
Yesterday, Pete Hegseth—Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Pentagon—survived his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Actually, he more than survived it, argues Eli Lake. He won it. (Rhetorically, at least.)
It’s a remarkable feat given that, just six weeks ago, Hegseth’s candidacy looked dead in the water. The New York Times had dug up an email in which his own mother called him “an abuser of women.” An anonymous accuser claimed Hegseth had drugged and raped her after a conference in Monterey, California, in 2017. Meanwhile, two veterans charities that Hegseth ran between 2013 and 2016 came under scrutiny for financial and sexual improprieties.
“Hegseth has allies in the conservative media and the broader MAGA movement,” writes Eli. And so “the narrative that Trump’s choice for secretary of defense was an unqualified womanizer who couldn’t manage a small charity has morphed into the tale of an embattled truth teller, taking on Big Woke at the Pentagon.”
To find out more about his vision for a post-woke military, read Eli’s piece: “Pete Hegseth Shows His Hand.”
I Joined TikTok Refugees on RedNote. Here’s What It’s Like.
The third of American adults who use TikTok could be deprived of the app as soon as Sunday—when the Chinese-owned company will be banned if an American buyer hasn’t been found. In preparation, self-described “TikTok refugees” have been flocking to another Chinese app: RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, which roughly translates to “little red book”—as in, Mao’s.
Our intrepid reporter River Page signed up to see what all the fuss was about. On RedNote, he found bemused Chinese nationals mingling with new American users, asking them questions like, “Why are you here?” and “Do U.S. ppl have to sell their house to pay their hospital bills?”
Read his piece to find out what’s happening on RedNote.
Outlawing Price Gouging Will Only Hurt Angelenos
In the week since the devastating fires in Southern California, we’ve heard a lot about predatory capitalists taking advantage of fire victims by hiking up the prices of scarce goods, especially accommodation. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said there would be “no tolerance” for anyone who “illegally hiked rents,” and Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order that aims to prevent price gouging on building materials and other essential supplies for—incredibly—the next year.
But “keeping prices low during a disaster by making it a crime to raise them will do far more harm than good,” argues Russ Roberts in his article for The Free Press. Read his piece on the false compassion of forcing low prices.
Porn Is Inevitable
American lawmakers are about to determine the future of pornography—or they’re trying to, at least. In recent years, 19 states—most of them Republican-led—have passed legislation that requires any website with a significant amount of smut to prove all its users are over 18. But today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments that these laws are unconstitutional.
But River Page says that even if the age verification laws are upheld, they won’t work. “The day an American teenager with a normal IQ can’t access porn on an unfiltered internet connection is the day freedom no longer exists in the United States,” he writes. “If you want an open internet where even a nominal amount of privacy is possible, that is the cost.” Read River’s piece on why porn is inevitable.
At The Free Press, we’re all about respectful disagreement. And if you’ve heard Batya Ungar-Sargon and Brianna Wu on Honestly before, you know that—as a Trump voter and a former Democratic candidate, respectively—they disagree. Always respectfully. So we’re delighted to say that for the next few months, we’re going to bring you weekly episodes featuring this formidable duo.
Kicking off the series, Batya, Brianna, and Bari cover the L.A. fires and their political implications, the civil war inside the MAGA movement over H-1B visas, Mark Zuckerberg’s red-pill moment—and their predictions for this week’s confirmation hearings.
To listen to their conversation, hit the play button below:
Does the West Need God?
Calling all Texas readers! Tickets are now available for our first live debate of 2025, and it’s happening in Austin—on February 27. In partnership with FIRE, we’re convening an all-star lineup to answer the question: “Does the West Need a Religious Revival?”
Arguing yes will be New York Times columnist Ross Douthat and human rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of a viral piece entitled “Why I Am Now a Christian.”
Arguing no: comedian and radio star Adam Carolla and science writer and Skeptic magazine founder Michael Shermer. Bari Weiss will moderate.
We have a very limited number of VIP tickets, which will give you access to the after-party—your chance to mingle with other Free Pressers. Our debates have a history of selling out fast, so buy your tickets today to avoid disappointment. (If you’re a student, you can verify your academic status here to receive a discount code.)
Israel and Hamas are now in the final stages of agreeing on a ceasefire deal, according to Arab, U.S., and Israeli officials. The deal outlines three phases. First, Hamas would swap 33 women and children, plus hostages older than 50, for “many hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners, during a 42-day ceasefire. Second, all remaining male Israeli hostages would be released in exchange for the IDF’s withdrawal from Gaza. In the third phase, once withdrawal is complete, Hamas would give up the bodies of deceased hostages and prisoners. The announcement comes a week after president-elect Donald Trump warned that “all hell will break out” if Hamas did not return the hostages by the time he takes office.
NATO is launching a new nautical mission called “Baltic Sentry” to protect undersea internet cables from bad actors. The plan is to increase surveillance in the sea that spreads from Russia to Sweden. While the announcement makes no direct mention of Moscow, it’s hard not to see the initiative as preemptive defense against Putin. Last month, Finnish police intercepted a tanker carrying Russian oil, which they suspected of damaging a Finnish power line and four telecoms cables by dragging its anchor across the seabed.
Kamala Harris has refused to invite J.D. and Usha Vance for the traditional tour of the vice president’s residence, multiple Democratic and Republican sources told CBS News. This rude rebuff may be petty retribution for Harris’s treatment four years ago: Sources close to the outgoing veep say Mike Pence never invited her to tour the house before moving in. (His advisers dispute this claim.) Or maybe Harris is still annoyed that Vance called her a “cat lady.”
Canadian economist Mark Carney, who until 2020 ran the Bank of England, has made noises about wanting to run his country. Appearing on The Daily Show, the ex-banker said he would pursue a bid to lead Canada’s Liberal Party in the wake of Justin Trudeau’s resignation. But that he chose to make the announcement on American airwaves leaves me wondering: Is he actually bidding to run the 51st state?
At CBS News, amid criticism of anti-Israel bias (which we reported on extensively), the network has tapped veteran journalist Susan Zirinsky as interim executive editor to oversee Middle East coverage and help tackle “perceived bias.” Zirinsky, who began her career at CBS News in 1972 and excels in internal damage control, will oversee the media company’s Standards & Practices unit. Meanwhile, MSNBC president Rashida Jones is jumping ship, as the network’s viewership rapidly sinks.
In the twilight hours of the Biden administration, the White House is likely to order a dramatic reduction in the nicotine content of cigarettes. Anti-smoking advocates are eagerly anticipating Biden’s move, but it could all be overturned by Trump, who River Page recently called the “Smokers’ President.”
Shopping Is Not a Legitimate Hobby
Hobbies make life—and people—more interesting. But what actually counts as a hobby? Woodworking, for sure. Civil War reenactment? Fine. But spending obscene amounts of money on watches you don’t need and calling it “curation”? That’s not a hobby. That’s just buying things.
In his new piece, Jack Baruth chastises anyone who talks about spending money as if it’s a fulfilling pastime. “The most notorious curators, especially in the male-centric interests of watches, firearms, and sports cars, are finance people,” he writes—guys who are “highly compensated but can’t make time for traditional, effort-intense hobbies.”
They’re looking for happiness in the wrong place, he argues. Instead, they should pursue activities “with some room for creative effort, demonstrated physical mastery, or a combination of both.” Read Jack’s piece today.
Forming a collection of anything can be a hobby. One has the pleasure of the hunt, endless research, chatting with fellow enthusiasts, and finally the arranging of one’s finds. Add to that competition between collectors and you really do have a hobby.
Very disappointed that FP will be platforming Brianna Wu… again. Perhaps Bari should read Corinna Cohn’s Substack piece on Wu from December 7 of last year.