1A

It's the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And the world looks very different now than it did then.

In the three years since Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces began their assault on their neighbor, tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers have perished. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been able to hold his enemies off with the help of support from the U.S.

But now that Donald Trump is in charge, that's likely to change. The president has made it no secret that he believes Zelenskyy should try and make peace with Putin, no matter what it might cost his country. In his first month in office, Trump has taken steps to isolate the U.S. from its allies in Western Europe and NATO, putting those countries on even shakier ground as they try and contend with the possibility of continued Russian aggression.

We discuss what the future of this conflict looks like for Ukraine.

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"Wicked: Part 1" follows the origin story of Elphaba, known in the original "Wizard of Oz" movie as the Wicked Witch of the West. And it follows her friend, Galinda, who eventually becomes the Good Witch.

The movie is based on the Broadway musical which debuted in 2003. Last year, it became the fourth-longest running musical in Broadway history. And that musical comes from a 1995 novel of the same name. The new Wicked movie stars singer-actresses Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as the witches Elphaba and Galinda.

The result this past weekend has been gravity-defying. "Wicked" brought in $114 million in North America and another $50 million internationally. That's the best-ever opening for a film adaptation of a Broadway musical.

For this meeting of the 1A Movie Club, we discuss the new "Wicked" film.

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"LONG LIVE THE KING!"

President Donald Trump posted that self-referential statement on Truth Social last week. He was celebrating his attempt to kill congestion pricing in New York City.

And several weeks ago, Trump declared, "He who saves his country does not violate any law."

His administration's actions are clear. They appear to be abandoning the American democracy we know. We discuss what a new American government could look like if our system of democracy no longer holds, and what it means for you, regardless of your political affiliation.

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Following the firings of a slew of employees at federal agencies responsible for things like fighting pandemics and taking care of nuclear weapons, the Trump administration is scrambling to rehire key positions.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says that he and his Republican colleagues are moving forward with their plans for a budget, despite Trump endorsing a competing plan put forward by the House.

Meanwhile, European leaders gathered in Paris this week to discuss what the Trump administration's future relationship with the continent looks like.

And following weeks of a shaky ceasefire, Hamas has offered to return all of its hostages to Israel in return for a permanent truce.

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David Lynch, an icon of American cinema, died last month at 78 years old.

As a filmmaker, he was known for his eccentric and dark depictions of American life – as illustrated in his 1986 film "Blue Velvet."

And in "Twin Peaks." His small-town mystery series aired for two seasons beginning in 1990 leading to a film and a 2017 reboot.

Of course, his imagination wasn't limited to small towns and suburbia. His films included an adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune," and he showed off his love for Los Angeles in films like "Mulholland Drive."

We look back at David Lynch's life and career.

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It was an abrupt about-face. Last Thursday, federal employees at the agency that manages the U.S. stockpile of nuclear weapons were suddenly let go by the Trump administration, with some employees receiving the news late Thursday night.

Then, as early as the next morning, some of those firings were reversed, with employees being told they should come back to work.

The White House has struggled to reach some of the employees it fired to tell them that they still have their jobs.

We discuss what's happening at the Department of Energy's agency for our nuclear stockpile and what this latest firing of federal employees could mean for our security.

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We all know the classics: Monopoly, Backgammon, Checkers, and many more.

For some, board games are relegated to the dregs of American entertainment, to be broken out at bad parties and played by candlelight on nights where the power's out.

But for many, a new wave of board game production and enthusiasm has them clearing calendars and pulling up a chair.

We discuss what's driving the tabletop gaming surge and what it means for an industry that's primarily analog.

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A November 2024 Pew Research survey found that nearly-half of Democrats are pessimistic about the party's future, compared to only 13 percent of Republicans.

The 2024 election was a rude awakening for leaders on the left, many of whom are grappling with how to shift the public perception of the party.

In this latest edition of "If You Can Keep It," we get at the heart of this political moment and ask the questions that really matter about the state of our democracy.

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The effects of climate change are being felt more than ever. We've seen the devastation caused by storms and floods.

Most recently, we watched the West Coast go up in flames flames, displacing thousands and destroying homes.

But what about what lingers behind? What stays in the air that we breathe?

Smoke can have a real impact on our health. As more of our forests start to burn due to increased temperatures, more smoke is going to be floating around our country and world.

We discuss the effects of fire smoke in the short and long term.

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We've heard about a lot of them the last few weeks.

They're one powerful tool in a commander-in-chief's arsenal to enact their agenda.

Donald Trump has made heavy use of the executive order in the past few weeks, but so have his predecessors. Both Joe Biden and Barack Obama issued many Executive Orders during their times in office.

We discuss the practice and boundaries of Executive Orders.

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