Left, Right & Center

Russia has invaded Ukraine in full force. This week, missiles, tanks and troops poured over the borders as explosions rocked the country, causing thousands of civilians to flee their homes and seek shelter. Biden’s response? Swift … but not S.W.I.F.T. 

The president announced he’d be leveling harsh sanctions against Russia’s banking and tech sectors, but stopped short of putting American troops in Ukraine or cutting off Russia’s access to the S.W.I.F.T banking system they send financial transactions through. 

So, why is Putin even doing this, and where will he stop? Has Biden been tough enough? How far should the U.S. and NATO go to prevent an Article Five invocation? And can the E.U. hold together through the worst land conflict Europe has seen since World War II? 

Guest host David Greene discusses with panelists Tim Carney, columnist at the Washington Examiner and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, on the right; Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service, on the left; and special guest Juliette Kayyem, professor of national security at Harvard University and former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. 

Also: Former President Trump praised Putin as a “genius,” and expressed support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine this week. Is that a deeper philosophy in the right, or just another Trump-ism? And how concerned should Americans really be about this war when they’re just trying to get through the day amid an ongoing global pandemic? Our panelists discuss. 

Finally: Juliette Kayyem makes the argument that our recovery from the pandemic SHOULD be political. But before you groan and turn off the episode, bear with us — because while Anthony Fauci’s a great doctor, he’s not an elected leader. So how can politicians turn science lessons into meaningful policy that balances risks with living life?

Canada’s having some close encounters of a truckish kind. For three weeks now, a convoy of truck drivers have occupied major cities north of the border and blocked trade in protest of vaccine mandates for truckers. They’ve gained support from many prominent right-wing figures in the United States, including former President Donald Trump.

Do the protests signify freedom of expression against authoritarianism, or do they cross a line and are more about making a partisan point?

Guest host David Greene discusses with panelists Tara Setmayer, senior advisor at the Lincoln Project, on the right; Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service, on the left; and special guest Chris Buskirk, publisher and editor of American Greatness.

Next: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is calling for the Republican party to break with former President Trump before the midterms — can they do it? Are Democrats going to benefit from the identity crisis on the right?

Then: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders calls for empathy for Putin, and suggests a radical solution to the crisis on the Ukrainian border – shutting the country out of NATO forever. But is that going to defuse Russia’s territorial aspirations? And can Democrats walk the tightrope between looking soft on Russia and outright war?

We’re several weeks into world leaders trying to quell tensions over the Ukraine - Russia border. And if you thought things weren’t complicated enough, Russian and Chinese leaders also issued a joint statement saying their partnership would establish a new “world order.” That sounds pretty ominous – so why aren’t the United States and NATO responding in kind? Can the EU get over its energy woes and sanction Russia until it backs out of Ukraine? And should we be freaking out, or is this just dictators dictating?

Guest host David Greene discusses with panelists Tara Setmayer, senior advisor at the Lincoln Project, on the right; and Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service, on the left.

Next: Depending on where you live, you might finally be able to give your mask tan lines some sun. Omicron is subsiding, and Democratic governors are saying goodbye to mask mandates for now, leaving behind a patchwork of local regulations that depend on case counts, vaccine rates and political pressures where you live. So, is it time to burn your masks, even though other variants are potentially on the horizon? Or are unified federal or state mandates the way to go?

Also, when did schools become public health and political battlegrounds? And why do schools seem the last to loosen restrictions when pandemic kids are already vulnerable to learning loss and mental health challenges? We bring on special guest Kimberly Atkins Stohr of the Boston Globe to discuss.

Then: President Biden has vowed that Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s replacement would be a Black woman. Since then, he’s been criticized by some who say this pledge demeans the very people it’s trying to help by suggesting they can’t compete in the process without assistance from the outside. But do today’s questions echo those around other groundbreaking Supreme Court nominations, or is this debate just a hallmark of grievance politics?

And for our rants this week: condemnations of political apologies, reporter tell-all books, and why we need to Build Back Better Bridges.

The crisis in Ukraine is edging toward what its president warns will be a “full-scale war” if Russian troops move in on the country — but this might also be a proxy war for democracy as we know it. What emboldened Putin to act now? Could it be that Russia believes Washington is weaker now than ever before, between troubles at NATO and turmoil at the White House? And if democracy is at risk at home, how justified is the fight for it abroad?

Guest host David Greene discusses with panelists Megan McArdle, columnist at the Washington Post, on the right; and Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service, on the left.

Next: It’s time for the United States to take a metaphorical look in the mirror. Former President Donald Trump gave a fiery speech in Texas, hinting at another bid for the presidency, while also calling for people to protest in American cities if prosecutors investigating him did anything “wrong or illegal.” If that sounds a little too familiar, it might be because there’s an audience listening to Trump’s rhetoric — and we bring on special guest Jean Guerrero of the Los Angeles Times to explain why.

Then: If you’re listening to this show on Spotify, you might have heard about the spat between musician Neil Young, podcast host Joe Rogan, and the audio streaming platform. Young demanded his music be taken down from Spotify because Rogan had been allowed to spread misinformation about vaccines and COVID. So what does Spotify owe its listeners? Should publishers be taking stances on the content they put out? Or does that create more echo chambers where good faith dialogue is desperately needed?

Finally: Our panelists rant about why the left and right don’t talk enough, and why fake snow is the absolute worst.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring after 27 years on the nation’s highest court, giving President Biden his first chance to nominate a justice to the bench. He’s expected to announce his pick by the end of February, and has vowed to nominate a Black woman.

So, who’s the right person for the job? Will the fight to hold down the liberal wing of the court fall along ideological lines? And when did Supreme Court nominations become tit for tat?

Guest host David Greene brings on panelists Megan McArdle, columnist at the Washington Post, on the right and Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service, on the left to discuss.

Next: Where is this chess match between Vladimir Putin and the rest of the world headed? There are 100,000 troops poised and ready at Ukraine’s border, but what Putin will order them to do is anybody’s guess. With China undoubtedly watching the situation closely, how can Biden convince fuel-reliant Germany to get behind the NATO bloc against Russia? Are there foreign policy lessons to be learned from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and beyond?

Also: Special guest and former Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs discusses radical approaches to ending the cycle of poverty. Is there a place for child tax credits and stimulus checks in a post-pandemic America? And how can macroeconomic growth translate to concrete benefits for people on the ground? Our panelists discuss.

Finally: Why is the FDA conspiracy against Floridians “triple-distilled balderdash?” And David Greene makes a personal plea to keep your pandemic grumpiness at home.

President Biden took questions from reporters on Wednesday for nearly two hours — ranging widely from voting rights to Ukraine and more — as senators from his own party threatened his top legislative goals.

The president says he’s outperformed expectations. His approval rating — a meager 40% or so — doesn’t seem to square with that. But can Biden be blamed for taking power during a historic pandemic? Or did he set himself up for failure by trying to strongarm moderate Democrats into a bill they already said they wouldn’t vote for? 

Also, Biden says he expects Russia will invade Ukraine. Economic sanctions might work, but how can the U.S. and Europe — which is heavily reliant on Russia for energy — work together to curb Russia’s territorial aspirations? Guest host Jeremy Hobson brings on panelists Megan McArdle on the right and Jamelle Bouie on the left to discuss. 

This week’s special guest is John Avlon, a political analyst at CNN and the author of a new book called “Lincoln and the Fight for Peace.” With Democrats’ voting agenda in peril and some on the left saying democracy is facing an existential fight, how does the present moment compare to other presidents in times of trouble? Our panelists break it down.

Then — what are Republicans for? Biden asked that question at this week’s press conference and it may become a talking point during the 2022 midterm elections. How will Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis differentiate himself from Trump in the run up to the Republican primary? Which Republican nominee should Biden be more worried about?

If your grocery or gas bill weren’t enough of an indicator, inflation is here at historic levels. The consumer price index, which tracks how prices change over time, showed a 7% increase at the end of last year, which is the highest jump since 1982.

The Biden administration says this too shall pass. But voters are feeling sticker shock and aren’t giving the president good marks on the economy despite a strong job market, a low unemployment rate, and rising wages.

How did we get here? Are generous stimulus packages and tax credits to blame? Is there a way to move forward on spending bills with inflation in mind, and to get the sign-off of one Democratic senator from West Virginia? Guest host Jeremy Hobson brings on panelists Christine Emba and Alice Stewart to discuss.

Next: Voting rights are big on Biden’s agenda. On the heels of the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Capitol riots, the president and Vice President Kamala Harris travelled to Atlanta to make their biggest push yet for voting rights.

They’re encouraging Democrats to do away with the filibuster and get rid of the 60-vote threshold to pass a bill, all to pass comprehensive legislation to expand voting access to Americans. We bring on special guest and former congresswoman Jane Harman to discuss whether that’s a good idea, and whether it’s risky to excite Biden’s base if he can’t deliver.

Also, high-level talks took place this week between Washington, NATO and Russia amid fears of another Russian invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s troops are looming over Ukraine’s border, and he’s demanding that NATO withdraw all allied troops from countries that border Russia.

That’s a key foreign policy test for President Biden, who’s had to deal with many a crisis abroad during his presidency between a trade war in China and an evacuation in Afghanistan. The million dollar question: What should the U.S. do if Putin invades Ukraine? Do economic sanctions even work? And if they don’t, what’s next for war-weary America?

And finally, GOP consultant Alice Stewart explains what’s wrong with shopping carts, Washington Post columnist Christine Emba says [Joe] Manchin and [Kyrsten] Sinema aren’t really Democrats, and host Jeremy Hobson explains one way the pandemic could be depoliticized.

We kick off a new year of Left Right & Center as the country reflects on the one-year anniversary of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Guest host Jeremy Hobson talks with Jamelle Bouie, Alice Stewart and Amy Walter about how the battle for voting rights has changed since last year’s insurrection as well as policy approaches to the Omicron surge.

Another massive Covid surge reminds us that the pandemic named for the year 2019 - is still kicking in 2022. Should President Biden be doing more to control Covid-19? What more can he do given that so many people aren’t getting vaccinated? Is it time for more carrots than sticks?

A year ago, on January 6th, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Is the investigation into that attack moving fast enough? Why do so many Republicans believe President Trump when he tells them the election was stolen? Democrats hope the anniversary will spur on voting rights reform in Congress. Is there any chance it will pass?

Welcome to Josh Barro’s final episode as host of Left, Right & Center. It’s a special episode with some of our most frequent panelists to close out 2021 and Josh’s seven-year run as host.

A lot has changed in the last seven years, and weirdly, a lot hasn’t. In this episode, you’ll hear clips from Josh’s first episode as host of Left, Right & Center in which he moderates a discussion of vaccine policy, mandates and vaccine skepticism. Can’t make this up! Back then, the issue was contentious but not hyper partisan. You’ll also hear Josh moderate a discussion about Donald Trump declaring his candidacy for president in 2015. It’s…a lot. LRC regulars Megan McArdle, Tim Carney, David Dayen and Keli Goff talk with Josh about how the Trump presidency and the pandemic have changed American politics and how the parties have changed, or failed to change, along with it. To mark this very transformative period for American politics and for Left, Right & Center too, Josh and the panelists make predictions about what the next seven years hold for us.

Well, it’s been a year: 2021 has been better than 2020 all told, but not as normal as hoped. It’s seemingly not as normal as the voters hoped it would be either, with President Biden’s approval ratings sliding from the summer on with inflation, resurgent covid cases, and a haphazard withdrawal from Afghanistan. So one year on, how is President Biden doing? And what can he do to right the ship before Democrats face voters next November?

On this special episode of Left, Right & Center, frequent panelists LANHEE CHEN, CHRISTINE EMBA, and GUSTAVO ARELLANO join departing host JOSH BARRO to look backward and forward. The panel discusses the highlights and the discontents of this year, hopes for what the government will do differently (and what will go differently) in 2022, the pluses and minuses of this economy, and the tools, both old and new, that could bring the virus under enough control for things to be close enough to normal…if we do things right.