## Hegseth Is Reportedly Vowing to Stop Drinking, Having His Mom Call Senators

Authored by rollingstone.com

There’s the disturbing 2017 sexual assault allegation, the police report for which included a hotel worker at the scene of the alleged incident saying Hegseth seemed very drunk.

Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing, and told police at the time that he was only “buzzed.”

Hegseth has been on Capitol Hill this week trying to convince Republican senators that he’s still fit to lead the nation’s largest bureaucracy.

He’s apparently been addressing them by promising senators he’ll stop drinking if they confirm him.

Hegseth acknowledged his drinking earlier in the day in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal.

When Hegseth was asked Wednesday afternoon whether he’d be flying to south Florida the next day, however, he replied, simply, “No.”.

If it sounds like Hegseth’s nomination is in trouble, he reportedly told Republican lawmakers that his mother has been calling senators on his behalf — which will surely fix matters. »

### French government toppled in historic no-confidence vote

Authored by lemonde.fr

Three months after he was appointed prime minister by French President Emmanuel Macron, Michel Barnier and his government were toppled on Wednesday, December 4, after a majority of PMs voted a no-confidence motion.

With the support of the far-right, a majority of 331 MPs in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government.

This was the first successful no-confidence vote to oust a French prime minister since 1962. »

### XDefiant officially shutting down as Ubisoft announces FPS end date

Authored by dexerto.com

After weeks of speculation regarding player count and ongoing support, XDefiant is officially on its way out.

“We regret to inform you that we are initiating the sunset process starting today,” a Ubisoft blog post outlined shortly after on December 3, 2024.

Ubisoft While Ubisoft claims XDefiant reached over 15 million players total, devs even admitted the daily active player count was dwindling as 2024 rolled on. »

### Who is really escalating the war in Ukraine? It certainly isn’t the west | James Nixey

Authored by theguardian.com

And yet after all this, the question I have been asked continuously over the past week is: “Is the west escalating the war?”

First, it would cost a lot more – in defence spending, donations of weaponry, and keeping Ukraine’s economy and society functioning.

The second reason that the western world has not given Ukraine all that it could have brings us back to escalation. »

### Canadian miners use China's rare metals ban to push back on Trump tariffs

Authored by financialpost.com

China’s move to ban exports of rare metals to the United States underscores the need for trade co-operation between mineral-rich Canada and its southern neighbour.

More than half of Canada’s mineral exports — valued at more than $80 billion — were destined for the U.S. in 2022, according to the Canadian group.

Canada was responsible for supplying nearly half of the U.S.’s import needs of germanium between 2019 and 2022, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Bloomberg.com. »

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