Speaker 1: We have to start today with Russia and Ukraine, where there are both reasons
to be absolutely horrified about what may be coming to the planet over the next several
weeks, but also some reasons to be cautiously optimistic.
And we're going to talk about both and we should understand both.
On the one hand, the bad we are facing what Kamala Harris calls a real possibility of
what Boris Johnson refers to as the biggest European war since World War Two.
We have no reason to believe at this point that Russia and Putin were telling the truth
about pulling back.
There has not been any independently verified evidence that suggests that's what's taking
place despite the claims last week.
And there is reason to believe, according to President Joe Biden, that Vladimir Putin
has already made the decision to invade Ukraine.
Now, I don't know if we need to refresh the entire situation, but Russia points to so-called
NATO's expansion and support of Ukraine from Naito as an act of aggression.
The actual aggressor in the case of Russia and Ukraine is clearly Putin.
But there are some who say his aggression is justified, and this includes, I mean, in
the U.S., some on the right and some on the left for different reasons, many of them victims
of different types of propaganda, which we will talk about.
But let's go to some of what world leaders are saying, and it doesn't really matter whether
you like these world leaders.
I don't particularly love either of them.
But let's talk about what is being said.
Here is a British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Take a listen.
Speaker 2: The plan that we're seeing is for something that could be really the biggest
war in Europe since 1945 in just in terms of sheer scale.
You're looking at a not just an invasion through the East, through the through the Donbass,
but according to the intelligence and intelligence that we're seeing coming down from the north,
down from Belarus and actually encircling Kiev itself as.
Speaker 1: Yes, so it's it is the type of thing that the circumstances are completely
different than World War Two.
But in terms of the scale in European countries, it would be if it's the worst case scenario.
Clearly the biggest war in Europe since World War Two.
Kamala Harris also commenting on this from the Munich Security Conference over the weekend.
Speaker 3: I mean, listen, guys, we're talking about the potential for war in Europe.
I mean, let's really take a moment to understand the significance of what we're talking about.
It's been over 70 years and through those 70 years, as I mentioned yesterday, there
has been peace and security.
We are talking about the real possibility of war in Europe.
Speaker 1: Now there has not been total peace and security in Europe, and we have had a
number of different civil wars within Europe.
OK, but the point is clear, which is this type of large war involving multiple countries
has not been seen in Europe since World War Two.
Speaker 3: So our position is for us very clear, which is as a leader, which we have
been bringing together the allies working together around our collective and unified
position that we would all not just prefer, we desire, we believe it is in the best interest
of all that there is a diplomatic end.
Speaker 1: Now, unfortunately, foreign diplomacy is not Kamala Harris area of expertize, but
it actually is Joe Biden's to a great degree, and we're going to talk about that in the
in the next segment.
But if this were to happen, and I hope it doesn't, I don't want a war.
I don't want U.S. troops in Ukraine.
I don't.
I don't want any of it.
OK?
This would be disastrous even for Americans in so many different ways, like we talk about
supply chain issues.
Just you wait now you might say, Well, David, sir, we don't really get stuff from Russia.
No, that's true.
But much of Europe's energy comes from Russia.
And if you see this conflict escalate, it would be economically devastating for Russia,
for sure, because they would likely stop getting a ton of that European money they depend on.
But Europe would have energy issues.
Those energy issues will translate into supply chain issues, and it's going to be bad for
the supply chain issues we've been experiencing here.
Energy pricing issues, just you wait, if you're upset about gas prices right now.
Chaos in the stock markets.
Everyone's 401Ks retirement accounts.
It is going to be insanity.
And I hope it doesn't happen now.
What is the hope?
Well, the hope is that Putin realizes, even though Europe depends on his energy, that
he depends on Europe's money and that he realizes the economic costs will be incredibly high.
The only problem is that Putin, in order to maintain his authoritarian strongman sort
of delusion, he has placed himself in a tough situation.
If he does invade, it is very clear the costs are going to be massive.
The cost will be massive elsewhere in the world, too.
We will suffer, too.
But on the one hand, if Putin does invade, the costs are going to be massive.
On the other hand, if he does, if he doesn't, does he look weak?
So that is where the Biden negotiations that may be coming together will be interesting,
and I'll talk about that in a moment.
In terms of domestic politics in the U.S., the Republican Party seems to trust Putin
more than our own intelligence services, and it doesn't mean our intelligence services
haven't been wrong in the past or haven't done bad things.
They've been wrong and they've done bad things.
But the Republican Party increasingly seems to be the party of Putin, which is bizarre.
We also need to stop perpetuating the falsehood that Russia hasn't really done anything with
Ukraine yet.
I mean, remember, Russia invaded Ukraine when they took Crimea.
They're effectively occupying eastern Ukraine, Ukraine via proxies in a couple of areas.
And when they did the Crimean annexation, the U.S. and most of the world said that was
really bad, that you did that.
But after after, you know, saying that it was basically allowed to happen, I'm not advocating
that it should have been time to bomb Russia or any.
I'm just saying that happened.
And here's one of the most important things we need to get more exposure to the reality
that there is a Russian propaganda campaign that's fracturing the United States politically,
and it is designed to if Russia were to invade Ukraine fully tomorrow, whatever that means,
in the end, you would see a huge portion of the online U.S. appear to support Russia.
You would see a lot of it, and there would likely be the follow on effect that Republicans
in Congress will oppose anything Joe Biden does not necessarily because all of them support
Russia, although I think a bunch of them do, and they don't even really understand why.
But because Republicans are unified in trying to prevent Joe Biden from doing anything and
they see it as a pathway to returning to power.
So this is a dangerous combination.
Russia runs propaganda campaigns to make many on the American right and many on the left
default to or support Vladimir Putin, or
at l