MSNBC's Joe Scarborough tapped the brakes on Donald Trump's defense nominee ahead of his confirmation hearing this week.

Pete Hegseth could face a contentious hearing Tuesday if Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) voices her concerns about his views on women in the military, sexual assault prevention and waste and fraud at the Pentagon. The "Morning Joe" host doesn't expect the Iowa Republican to back down in the face of MAGA bullying to get the former Fox News host confirmed as defense secretary.

"It would be extraordinary to see Joni Ernst, a woman who's been a champion of women in combat, a woman who's been a champion of women who have been sexually abused and harassed, it would be extraordinary to see Joni Ernst, of all people, bow down to the pressure because of Twitter or because of X or because of Meta and deciding that, well, she can't stand up for women in combat, she can't stand up for women who have been sexually harassed and abused," he said.

Hegseth's mother made the rounds last month on TV to walk back her intense criticism in a 2018 email in which she called him an "abuser of women," but Scarborough said her scathing assessment could play into Ernst's decision-making during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

"Again, Hegseth's mother, despite what she said later on, his own mother wrote a letter to him accusing him repeatedly of abusing women," Scarborough said, "and so for Joni Ernst to somehow decide that it's okay to support Pete Hegseth's nomination because she had a couple of bad days on Twitter – wow."

"We'll see what happens," he added. "Long way to go."

Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei, however, believes the pressure campaign against Ernst will work because she'll need MAGA support to win re-election in 2026.

ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'

"I know there's a lot of work being done, particularly on Hegseth, by Democrats to try to get somebody involved in the various allegations against him to testify, to go public so that they have new information to tie it to," VandeHei said. "So far, my understanding is there has not been a lot of luck in getting that done, and so unless that happens, Republicans want to unite, want to be able to give Trump the cabinet that he wants, whether people like it or not, he won and they believe that he has a right to have it."

"I think you saw it with Joni Ernst, like, listen, like you got to be one hell of a tough person with the skin of a rhino to take the crap that you have to take on social media advertising back in your state," VandeHei added. "If you're thinking of running again, if you worry about a primary, there's been a lot of money, there's been a lot of agitation, there's been a lot of threats about what happens if you don't support the nominees, and so it just aren't that many people that are like, 'Hell yeah, sign me up for that, I want to be the person to tank to tank one of these nominees.' So it would take something new, I think, to do that."

Watch the video below or at this link.

- YouTube youtu.be

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.