AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour."

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated a key and controversial ally to assist him in his next term.

Peter Navarro, who served as a trade adviser to the president during his first term, will return in a similar role.

He spent four months in prison earlier this year for defying a subpoena from the House January 6 Committee.

GEOFF BENNETT: Mr. Trump also named cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Daniel Driscoll, an adviser to vice president-elect J.D.

Vance, to serve as secretary of the Army.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, one of the president-elect's most embattled nominees, defense secretary-designate Pete Hegseth, met with Republican senators today on Capitol Hill.

Our Lisa Desjardins has been following his meetings today.

She joins us now from the Capitol.

So, Lisa, bring us up to speed.

Where does that Hegseth nomination -- nomination, rather, stand right now?

LISA DESJARDINS: It is in a precarious spot.

Our reporting, both mine and Laura Barron-Lopez's, is that this day and the next day are the critical hours for Pete Hegseth and his nomination.

A reminder to our viewers that reports and also a police report have brought up a lot of allegations against Hegseth.

That includes a sexual assault allegation, which was not charged against him previously, and also reports, including from "The New Yorker" and The New York Times, allegations of mistreatment of women, and including accounts of mismanaging two organizations that he ran, as well as reports of alcohol-fueled bad behavior.

Hegseth says those accounts are inaccurate.

He denies the wrongdoing.

His lawyer has said that these reports are wrong.

But, today, he said that he is going to keep fighting for this nomination.

Now, I want to show you how he's doing it.

In The Wall Street Journal today, he came out with an op-ed.

He defended his record.

He also went on Megyn Kelly's podcast today, and he said that president-elect Trump still supports him.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, Lisa, when you talk to your sources, what are the key arguments that senators here are looking at and how impactful are they?

LISA DESJARDINS: Right.

Well, let's start by listening to what Hegseth himself says.

Here he was on Megyn Kelly's podcast.

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee: He reiterated the same thing this morning.

"Hey, Pete, I got your back.

It's a fight.

They're coming after you.

Get after it."

The media is driving with this ridiculous narrative.

It's our turn to -- it's our time to stand up and tell the truth and our side.

And he knows that.

And so he supports me.

We talked.

I won't betray what we talked about specifically, but he said: "You go meet those senators, and I have got your back."

It means a lot to me.

Tells you who that guy is.

LISA DESJARDINS: Now, if just four Republican senators vote no and all the Democrats vote no as well, this nomination is sunk.

And by my counting right now, there are at least six Republican senators who are no or have grave doubts privately about him.

One of them that everyone is watching is Senator Joni Ernst, herself a military veteran and survivor of sexual assault.

This is what she tweeted out after meeting with Hegseth just a few hours ago.

She said: "I appreciate his service."

And then she wrote: "Today, as part of the confirmation process we, had a frank and thorough conversation."

Ernst is not a bomb thrower, as you know, Amna, but that is about the most brutal neutral statement that you could see.

As for other issues, the two I'm hearing the most from senators are about his alcohol use and about his treatment of women.

In that regard, an e-mail from his mother has come up quite a lot.

She went on television today to say that she regrets those words and that this is not the same man that she wrote about years ago.

Here she is.

PENELOPE HEGSETH, Mother of Pete Hegseth: Pete is a new person.

He's redeemed, forgiven, changed.

I think we all are after seven years.

I believe he's a man for the job.

LISA DESJARDINS: Now, that's not a denial of what she saw at the time, but she's talking about him now.

Also, on alcohol, a senator said that Hegseth swerved to him that he would not drink on the job.

Senators have to decide.

But there is in the air rumors of others being under consideration.

Laura Barron-Lopez and I reporting those are Senator Hagerty, Senator Ernst herself, though it's not clear if she'd be interested.

And some Trump world sources, Laura's reporting is, also talking about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the defense secretary position.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, Lisa, as president-elect Trump continues to work to build his Cabinet, we also now have the final numbers for the House of Representatives.

The last race has been called, so bring us up to speed.

LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.

OK, let's go through this.

There's two races that have been called recently, one just in the last day.

That's in California's 13th District.

Democrats have picked up this seat, Adam Gray winning that rematch.

Another in Orange County, California's 45th District, that was a big pickup for Democrats as well.

So, in the end, now, here's what this House will look like next year, 220 Republicans to 215 Democrats.

But a reminder, Amna, that three of those Republicans are leaving to join the Trump administration.

So that's 217 to 215.

So, all in all, Democrats essentially picked up one seat over where they are at this moment.

It is going to be another very, very tight Congress.

It's going to be difficult and may be one of the most close margins we have seen in recent history.

AMNA NAWAZ: And, Lisa, this Congress has a lot to get done, including funding the government.

Where does that stand?

LISA DESJARDINS: Right.

We will talk about this more, but, right now, things seem to be moving in the direction of a short-term extension of that funding maybe into March.

That means the Trump administration and new Congress would have to deal with it again, and quickly.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, Lisa Desjardins reporting from Capitol Hill tonight.

Lisa, thank you.

LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.