The West focuses on Ukraine as China expands its military across the Pacific. U2 sings in Kiev, and the Taliban bring back the burqa.
Macron wins in a landslide, and CNN+ joins New Coke, ESPN Phone, and "Waterworld" as epic commercial failures.
No video portion for today's Change Is Hard, but we're not taking the holiday off. Today we dive into Elon Musk's hostile takeover of twitter and what it could mean in the battle between big government and big tech.
Should Biden follow Boris Johnson and visit Kiev to support Ukraine? Massood from Afghanistan updates Tony on the Taliban takeover. Rashed in Pakistan tells Tony why Imran Khan is blaming the U.S. for his ouster as P.M.
Biden mistakenly calls for regime change in Russia, triggering global concern. The Iran nuke talks are back on. Hear Iranian and Israeli analysis of the impact of a deal.
IRAN MISSILE STRIKE: 12 missiles fired into Iraq from Iran. Why would Iran target Iraq? Hear from VTA's Iraqi and Iranian voices. Plus, Gasoline Gaslight in Change is Hard.
Discover why Ukraine is only a small part of Putin's war plans. Yuri from Russia provides insight into the mind of Putin.
Discover why Biden/EU are unwilling to sanction Russian oil. What options are available for NATO after Putin threatens nuclear war?
Biden declares that Russia will invade Ukraine. He promised the same thing last week but Putin did not invade. What is Biden trying to accomplish? Natalya in Kiev joins Tony with analysis. Canada’s Justin Trudeau declares the trucker protest an emergency. Too extreme? Darren from Edmonton joins Tony with analysis.
Biden predicts Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent. Americans ordered to evacuate Ukraine. Hear how Russians are responding to Biden’s words. The Canadian truckers are still protesting. Lorrie from Toronto tells Tony that protests likely will continue even if police move in. Adama in Africa analyzes US concerns over a Chinese naval base being proposed in Equatorial Guinea.
Canada's vax protests grow. Trudeau resists. What are the chances that policy change will occur? Darrin from Canada offers analysis. Biden removes economic sanctions on Iran in an attempt to get a nuclear deal. Kamran from Iran offers analysis. Kareem from Egypt tells Tony why Biden ordered the killing of an ISIS leader inside Syria.
Today on Change Is Hard: a reporter practices real journalism and pushes back against the State Department's claims that Russia will initiate a false flag attack on Ukraine, Nancy Pelosi tells Team USA to shut up and skate and Joe Rogan gives in to the cancel mob.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is becoming the chokepoint for the Ukraine crisis. Biden is guaranteeing energy security to Europe without explaining how he can guarantee it. Why did Germany & Biden support Nord Stream 2 last year? Hear from the author of ‘Russian Energy Chains.’ Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau is in hiding because of trucker protests. Who is running the country? Is Canada going to adopt Biden’s domestic terror policy?
Biden flubs press questions on Ukraine, igniting international kerfuffle. Russia analyst Yuri joins Tony. Mark in Europe predicts Boris Johnson’s days as PM are ending soon.
Biden doubles down on the alleged domestic terror threat, opening a new bureau in the DOJ. How will al-Qaeda, ISIS and The Taliban react to this shift in policy? Tawfik Hamid joins Tony with analysis. The Olympics are days away. Will the new ‘activist athlete’ protest in China? Gordon Chang offers analysis.
The US and Russia begin diplomatic negotiations over Ukraine. Illia in Kiev joins Tony with analysis. Kazakhstan erupts in violent protests. Russian troops are called in. Discover why the Kazakh crisis involves Russia, China and Afghanistan.
Biden and Putin meet for a 2nd time about Ukraine. Putin demands that NATO shrink its influence. Riki Ellison, head of The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, joins Tony with analysis of Biden’s options. Massood from Kabul joins Tony to discuss Taliban rule. Find out why the Talib of 2022 are no different from the Talib of 2001.
The fast-spreading variant is already causing economic turmoil. Mar from Spain joins Tony to discuss how Omicron has completely disrupted Europe. Adama in Africa discusses Desmond Tutu’s legacy. Change Is Hard offers Joe Biden lessons on how to run a Morning Zoo program.
Today on Change Is Hard, President Biden takes live unscreened calls on Christmas Eve and receives a yuletide "Let's go Brandon."
Omicron triggers a return of 2020 lockdowns. Netherlands cancels Xmas, NYC cancels public gatherings, France reinstates travel restrictions. Mark from the UK joins Tony with analysis. The Log4j cyber security flaw scrambles users around the globe. China, Iran and N Korea are accused of exploiting the flaw. Rob, a cyber-security specialist, joins Tony with details on how you can protect yourself.
Putin & Biden hold a video meeting, after which Russia accelerates its weapons and troop buildup on the Ukrainian border. Yuri joins Tony to offer analysis from a Russian perspective. Omicron grows across Europe. Mar in Spain tells Tony how citizens are reacting to the virus and new government behavior modifications.