It’s Casual Friday! Emma hosts Derek Davison, author of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter on Substack and co-host of the American Prestige podcast, to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Then, Emma talks with Luke Savage, staff writer at Jacobin magazine and author of the upcoming book The Dead Center: Reflections On Liberalism And Democracy After The End Of History to round up the week in news! And lastly, Emma is joined by Jayar Jackson, host of The Watchlist on The Young Turks Network! Derek first joins to take us through the developments in the Russian invasion of Ukraine over this week, starting with Putin’s recognition of the People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk on Monday, and moving to Thursday morning’s announcement of Russian special operations, leading to these last two days of sustained Russian offensives. After touching on the myths Putin is relying on, from the ahistorical view of Ukrainians to the claim of “de-Nazification” in a place with less far-right support in elections than most of Europe, Derek and Emma dive into the imperialist ideology that is behind Putin’s actions, wanting Russia to act like a major power in the same imperialist manner of US and NATO. They wrap up by discussing the future of any relationship between China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, and explore the potential outcomes Putin could be looking for. Next, Luke Savage joins as they take on the end of the end of history, and the very weird re-emergence of Cold War talking points around Russia, balancing between the far-right praise for Putin’s cultural fascism and admonishment of Russia’s supposed communist needs, before they walk through the US Intelligence agency’s broken clock tactic of being right once a day (its a 24-hour clock). Lastly, Jayar Jackson joins as they discuss Biden’s pick for SCOTUS nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, as well as Lindsay Graham’s disbelief at Biden succumbing to the commies by choosing a Black woman over an anti-labor lawyer, and the role Manchin doesn’t want to play in the confirmation. They also touch on the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on oil production, and how it emphasizes the need for a green transition.

And in the Fun Half: Emma and Matt talk with Rachel in North-Western Ukraine as she works through the infuriating, surreal, and tragic chaos of the past week, before the crew dives into the mistrust of the intelligence agencies that lead to dubious opinion on an invasion. They also cover AnnaLynne McCord’s slamming Putin with poetry, Alex from NY calls in with his fight club, and Ted Cruz walks out to fair-use Owl City to proclaim Boston as the pinnacle of the conservative takeover. They also cover CPAC beefers calling each other “fringe” and “Antifa” and take on Jim Breuer’s deafening squawks and their important political points, plus, your calls and IMs!