From WNYC Studios. I'm Brian Lehrer. This is my daily politics podcast. It's Monday, January 13th.

Well, the main stage in American politics this week will probably be the United States Senate,

where the confirmation

hearings are beginning for various Trump nominees, and particularly tomorrow for the very

controversial defense secretary nominee Pete Hickseth with his personal behavior issues and

things he's written like about preparing for civil war

and admiring the crusades. The New York Times had an article last month, for example,

headlined Pete Hegseth and his battle cry for a new Christian crusade. It says the veteran

picked to lead, the Defense Department has praised the brutal religious

military campaigns of the past and has called for a Christian approach to governing. Now, we may do a

special coverage edition of this show tomorrow with stretches of the hearing live and analysis

around the edges, but we're waiting to see if their timing matches our time on the

air. But the Hexeth hearings, and I guess maybe a debate over what kind of military would Jesus

command, starts tomorrow. So we begin the week with a member of the Senate. Senator Ron

Wyden, and we're looking forward to it. He's never been on the show before.

He's the second most senior Democrat in the Senate, and has been in Congress since 1981.

He also has a new book entitled It Takes Hutzpah.

And he's got a bill for more prescribed burns in national forests to help prevent wildfires. Very relevant, obviously,

to what's happening in California now, as Wyden is from the neighboring state of Oregon,

which also has a chair of wildfires in recent times. With us now is Oregon Senator Ron Wyden,

chairman of the Finance Committee, among roles he plays, and now the author

of the book, It Takes Chutzpah, How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change. It includes

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