President-elect Trump isn't working the phones for Pete Hegseth in his hour of need, leaving the embattled Department of Defense nominee to press his own case to skeptical senators, we have learned.

• "I don't think it's going anywhere," one senator told us about Hegseth's nomination chances.

Why it matters: Trump is on path to lose his third nominee in two weeks, and this time he's leaving his candidate out to dry.

• GOP senators took Trump's handling of the Matt Gaetz nomination as a sign he's open to changing his mind — and he's not that serious about fighting the Senate on rules and procedure just yet.

Trump waged a phone campaign last month before telling Gaetz to drop out. Before he announced Gaetz, he demanded consideration of recess appointments from Senate GOP leader candidates.

• The pipeline of backup names for defense secretary floated to the press — including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — only further signals Trump could be open to switching things up again.

Let's run the tape on Hegseth's day:

• His meeting didn't seem to go great with top skeptic Sen. Joni Ernst, a combat veteran and sexual violence victim. The Iowa Republican issued a bland statement after the meeting, saying the convo was "frank and thorough." Hegseth has said women shouldn't serve in combat, and he faces sexual misconduct allegations.
• Hegseth promised to stay sober in the job — a promise he made both to Megyn Kelly in an interview and during a meeting with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) — after unflattering stories about his use of alcohol.
• Hegseth pleaded with House Republicans to publicly endorse him — and said Trump was still on his side after the two spoke today.

What to watch: Other potential detractors are set to meet with Hegseth next week — Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

• Murkowski told us she has "a lot of questions" for the nominee.

— Stef Kight and Hans Nichols

Rep. Nancy Pelosi is publicly embracing intra-party warfare that she never would have tolerated as party leader.

Why it matters: The speaker emerita's supportive stance stands in sharp contrast to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' firmly neutral public posture.

• It's also a reflection of the two leaders' starkly different styles: Pelosi's as blunt instrument, Jeffries' as careful conciliator.
• It's a similar double-act to what happened after the first presidential debate, in which Pelosi mounted a thinly veiled campaign to push President Biden off the Democratic ticket while Jeffries tried to reflect the mixed attitude of his caucus.

Pelosi told us she's supporting "some" of the insurgencies playing out for top committee leadership slots, adding, "I don't know all of them."

• Pelosi was holding a letter from Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) withdrawing his reelection bid in the face of likely defeat at the hands of Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
• "He knows the territory," Pelosi, who had encouraged Raskin to run, said of Nadler's withdrawal.
• One House Democrat familiar with the leadership dynamics told us "nobody is discouraging" these insurgents.

The intrigue: House Democrats are calling both Pelosi and Jeffries as they seek top committee spots.

• Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) said she "spoke to both of them" before launching her bid to take down Agriculture Committee ranking member David Scott (D-Ga.).
• Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who is running to replace Raskin on Oversight, told us he has had "talked to ... people in leadership and people who formerly were in leadership."

— Andrew Solender

Speaking of youth-led insurgency: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is expected to run for Rep. Jamie Raskin's old slot on House Oversight, according to Democratic sources familiar with her plans.

Why it matters: The 35-year-old lawmaker would easily be House Democrats' youngest committee leader at a time when some of their oldest are facing insurgent challenges.

• "It's going to happen soon," said one of the House Democrats.
• A senior House Democrat said "she has talked to" colleagues saying she is running.
• Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff Mike Casca told us: "When there's an announcement to make, she'll make it."

State of play: Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is already running for the role, with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) also expressing interest.

• Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) told us today he is "very happy" as the ranking member on the Oversight select subcommittee on China.

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— Andrew Solender