Pete Hegseth’s Holy War

The Washington Roundtable considers how the ideological commitments of Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, are at play in the conflict with Iran. Their guest, the journalist Katherine Stewart, has covered the MAGA right and is the author of “Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy.” The panel discusses how Christian nationalism has moved from the fringes of the culture to the center of American military power, with Hegseth driving the shift. “This is a movement that at its core has never believed in democracy,” Stewart says. “It rejects the principles of equality and pluralism, and, frankly, the rule of law that represents the best of the American promise.”

This week’s reading:

• “The War Trump Doesn’t Want to Talk About,” by Susan B. Glasser
• “Trump’s Inexcusable Unpreparedness for the Iranian Oil Crisis,” by John Cassidy
• “What the Selection of Iran’s New Leader Might Mean for the War,” by Robin Wright
• “War in the Age of the Online ‘Information Bomb,’ ” by Kyle Chayka
• “How Putin Views Trump’s War on Iran,” by Joshua Yaffa
• “The Limits of Iran’s Proxy Empire,” by Sudarsan Raghavan

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. 

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