The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (12/08/2022):
3:00pm- On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced that his administration successfully negotiated the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian detention center. Griner had been accused of carrying illegal vape cartridges. The prisoner swamp involved the Biden Administration agreeing to release Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer nicknamed the Merchant of Death. According to reporting from Jim Geraghty of The National Review, “at one point” Bout was “the second-most-wanted man after Osama bin Laden.”
3:15pm- During her Thursday press conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the Biden Administration’s decision to trade a dangerous arms dealer for a professional athlete in the U.S.-Russia prisoner swap.
3:35pm- On the U.S.-Russia prisoner swap, National Review’s Jim Geraghty writes that other nations may now conclude, “the U.S. government will release anyone under enough pressure.” Does this exchange encourage other adversarial nations to wrongfully imprison American citizens, hoping that it can result in valuable concessions?
3:45pm- While appearing on CNN, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the U.S. National Security Council John Kirby emphasized that Paul Whelan—a Marine imprisoned in Russia—was “never a bargaining chip” for Viktor Bout. Why not? And, after releasing Bout, what bargaining chip does the Biden Administration have to encourage Whelan’s release?
4:05pm- According to a report from Greg Wilson of The Daily Wire, “Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman helped broker the dramatic prisoner swap between the U.S. and Moscow that sprang WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian gulag, days after the Biden administration helped spike a lawsuit against the Saudi ruler.”
4:15pm- David Whelan, the brother of Marine Paul Whelan who has been wrongfully detained by Russia since 2018, told CNN that he and his family were incredibly happy to see Brittney Griner has been freed, but they obviously remain disappointed that Paul remains imprisoned.
4:40pm- Speaking with Martha MacCallum on Fox News, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the U.S. National Security Council John Kirby dismissed the idea that the Griner-Bout prisoner exchange encourages foreign adversaries to abduct Americans.
4:50pm- The Biden Administration’s foreign policy blunders didn’t start with a lopsided prisoner exchange with Russia. The New York Times released a video essay documenting America’s abandonment of allies during the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Despite being over a year later, tens of thousands of Afghan-allies remain stranded—with many being actively hunted by the Taliban.
5:00pm- While everyone is happy to see Brittney Griner finally released from an unjust Russian detainment, should the Biden Administration have been able to extract more concessions in exchange for Viktor Bout—an individual who, at one point, was considered the second-most wanted man in the world. Listeners react to the prisoner exchange.
5:15pm- During an interview with Variety, Jennifer Lawrence claimed that Hunger Games was the first time Hollywood featured a female actor in an action film. But what about Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, Linda Hamilton in Terminator, Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider…the list goes on and on...
5:30 pm- On CNBC, Harvard University professor Jason Furman—who served as an Economic Advisor in the Obama Administration—warned that a mild recession is likely to occur soon, though it won’t necessarily resolve inflation.
5:50pm- The Mystery Movie Clip: Henry plays the whole movie…
6:05pm- During her Thursday press conference, White House Press Secretary referred to Brittney Griner as an “important role model” and defended the Biden Administration’s decision to trade a dangerous arms dealer for a professional athlete in the U.S.-Russia prisoner swap. Will teacher Mark Fogel and Marine Paul Whelan ever be released from their unjust Russian imprisonment?
6:30pm- According to a report from The Daily Wire, a professor at Sacramento City College is under an internal investigation for being critical of “gender affirmation” surgeries being performed on children.
6:45pm- Disney released the trailer for the new Indiana Jones film: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It doesn’t look great…but Rich will see it anyway!
6:50pm- Does Discovery’s “Shark Week” lack diversity? According to Daniel Wu of The Washington Post, not only does the television event lack diversity, it also emphasizes “negative messages about sharks.”
