Chuck Hagel's Pentagon

Making News

Israeli Airstrike in Syria Brings Backlash ()

Israeli warplanes struck near Damascus today, prompting supporters of Bashar al-Assad to rally behind their leader while Iran warmed of "grave consequences." It's not clear what the target was. Isabel Kershner reports from Jerusalem for the New York Times.

Guests:

• Isabel Kershner: New York Times

Main Topic

Cabinet Nominee Hagel Gets a Grilling ()

Republicans John McCain and Chuck Hagel might have been friends when Hagel was in the Senate, but you wouldn't have known it today at his confirmation hearing. Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma said Hagel supports retreat from America's global leadership and shrinking the military, which Inhofe said "will not make America safer." Even Democrats, including Michigan's Carl Levin, were concerned about where Hagel stands on Israel. We hear what was said about Iran, Israel and cuts in the Pentagon budget, and assess Hagel's chances of confirmation.

Guests:

• Martin Kady: Politico, @mkady
• Tom Donnelly: American Enterprise Institute, @AEI
• Jeremy Ben-Ami: J Street, @JeremyBenAmi
• Miriam Pemberton: Institute for Policy Studies, @IPS_DC

Reporter's Notebook

Nostalgia for the Days of the Cold War ()

At the end of the Cold War, it would have been inconceivable for an American television series to make heroes of Soviet spies. But last night, the FX channel debuted The Americans, which does exactly that. What does it reveal about the perception of history in modern culture? Jon Wiener is a professor of history at the University of California at Irvine, and the author of How We Forgot the Cold War: A Historical Journey across America.

Guests:

• Jon Wiener: University of California, Irvine

Links:

• The Atomic Cafe