Hegseth in the Hot Seat
The Daily
Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, went before Congress to answer for a war in Iran that has reached a stalemate and a management style that has caused controversy at the Pentagon.
Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent, takes us inside Mr. Hegseth’s testimony.
Guest: Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times in Washington.
Background reading:
- Read takeaways from Mr. Hegseth’s second day of testimony on the Iran war.
Photo: Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?sou.... For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Raw Description
<p>Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, went before Congress to answer for a war in Iran that has reached a stalemate and a management style that has caused controversy at the Pentagon.</p> <p>Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent, takes us inside Mr. Hegseth’s testimony.</p> <p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/eric-schmitt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Eric Schmitt</strong></a>, a national security correspondent for The New York Times in Washington.</p> <p>Background reading: </p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/us/politics/hegseth-senate-hearing-takeaways.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read takeaways</a> from Mr. Hegseth’s second day of testimony on the Iran war.</li> </ul> <p>Photo: Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times</p> <p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>
Show Notes
Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, went before Congress to answer for a war in Iran that has reached a stalemate and a management style that has caused controversy at the Pentagon.
Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent, takes us inside Mr. Hegseth’s testimony.
Guest: Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times in Washington.
Background reading:
- Read takeaways from Mr. Hegseth’s second day of testimony on the Iran war.
Photo: Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?sou.... For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Raw Description
<p>Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, went before Congress to answer for a war in Iran that has reached a stalemate and a management style that has caused controversy at the Pentagon.</p> <p>Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent, takes us inside Mr. Hegseth’s testimony.</p> <p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/eric-schmitt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Eric Schmitt</strong></a>, a national security correspondent for The New York Times in Washington.</p> <p>Background reading: </p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/us/politics/hegseth-senate-hearing-takeaways.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read takeaways</a> from Mr. Hegseth’s second day of testimony on the Iran war.</li> </ul> <p>Photo: Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times</p> <p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>