Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown University's Watson Institute, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Brown University, share their take on the news.

On this episode: living through another pandemic wave; Joe Manchin reveals who he's been all along; union movies at Starbucks, a strike at Kellogg's, and the state of organized labor in the US; making sense of Russia's aggression towards Ukraine; Boris Johnson has seen better days; reflecting on the two biggest stories of the year (one good, one bad). 

You can learn about the Watson Institute's full podcast network here.