About this episode
The political debate — and theater — surrounding a new House committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. And, why wildland firefighters in the West are burning out. Read more: A bipartisan select House committee begins its probe of the Jan. 6 insurrection this week. But as national security reporter Karoun Demirjian explains, the investigation kicks off under a cloud of political debate and theater. On the heels of one of the worst wildfire years on record, the federal government is struggling to recruit and retain staffers as firefighters grapple with low wages, trauma and burnout from increasingly long and intense fire seasons. Sarah Kaplan reports on the Biden administration’s promise to the federal firefighting force –– and what the United States has to understand about climate change and wildfires.