WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:02.919 This is Gary and Shannon and you're listening to KFI 2 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:03.279 A M. 3 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:06.000 Six forty, The Gary and Shannon Show on demand on 4 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:08.800 the iHeartRadio app. If you're working today, I think it's 5 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:11.919 President's Day. I think there's a holiday for some people. 6 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:14.759 So if you're working today but you're still listening, thanks, 7 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:17.079 thanks for making the effort to. 8 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:18.000 Get out here for us. 9 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:21.559 A lot going on today, Shannon's out. We are going 10 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:24.320 to talk a lot about what's going on with Russia 11 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.679 and Ukraine and these ongoing or beginning i should say, 12 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:30.640 peace negotiations that are going to happen in Saudi Arabia. 13 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:33.640 That'll be here in a few minutes. We got great 14 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:35.920 weather for the rest of this week. And guess what, 15 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:39.039 ladies and gentlemen, Baseball comes back this week. 16 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:40.520 That is a glorious thing. 17 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:42.560 In fact, the Cubs and the Dodgers will play the 18 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:47.200 first spring training game on Thursday. Of course, those two 19 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:50.200 teams get to start the season a little early with 20 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:54.719 the series in Japan in the middle of March, so 21 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:57.280 they get a head start on some of those things. 22 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:01.119 So that's all good. We'll do tape Monday coming up 23 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:04.000 late in the show. Some of the world of music news. 24 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:08.439 Part of it was the SNL fiftieth anniversary from last night, 25 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:10.519 three hours worth. 26 00:01:10.239 --> 00:01:12.000 Of nice nostalgia. 27 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:14.879 There were a couple hiccups along the way, because Saturday 28 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:18.120 Night Live can't do one entire show and have it 29 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:20.560 be great, So there were a couple of hiccups, but 30 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:22.840 it was a good show and if you were a 31 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:25.640 fan of Saturday Night Live, even if you were a fan, 32 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:28.799 at times they hit all the right spots, and they 33 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:31.439 hit all the right notes and some of that. So 34 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:37.159 Shannon would ask me what I did I should say? 35 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:38.920 If she were here today, she would ask me, how 36 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:39.799 it went this weekend? 37 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:42.439 How did it go this weekend? It went? It went well. 38 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:45.319 For those of you who don't know, I buried my 39 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:51.120 parents this weekend and Mom died in October of twenty two. 40 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:54.879 Dad died in December of twenty three. Listen, we're not 41 00:01:54.920 --> 00:01:58.159 on a tight schedule my family. But they were both 42 00:01:58.200 --> 00:02:02.159 cremated if anybody was curious, because people are weird, and 43 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:05.239 we finally found the right time. It worked out for 44 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:07.280 everybody in the family, worked out for a couple of 45 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:11.120 sisters and aunts and uncles and the close friends that 46 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:16.919 could make it all showed up to this tiny little 47 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:24.479 cemetery in central California where literally from their gravesite you 48 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:27.240 can see their house across the river. I mean, it 49 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:31.120 was a great setting, beautiful setting. The weather turned out 50 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:33.840 to be spectacular on Saturday, a little cloud cover, but 51 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:37.520 it was just sixty two degrees or whatever it was 52 00:02:37.719 --> 00:02:46.319 and warm. And the thing about burying your parents, both 53 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:50.719 of them, is that you enter this weird club. And 54 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:52.919 I've had a lot of time to process it. This 55 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:57.759 isn't a therapy session, trust me, but there are things 56 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:01.039 that change in your life, specifically. 57 00:03:01.960 --> 00:03:03.520 When you bury your parents like that. 58 00:03:03.719 --> 00:03:08.159 And there was a very weird feeling yesterday driving home 59 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:10.599 that it was sort of the end of this era, 60 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:12.840 the end of the closure. And like I said, I mean, 61 00:03:12.879 --> 00:03:17.759 this all started when Mom got sick in twenty twenty two, 62 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:20.280 and then she passed away, and then Dad, by himself, 63 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:23.360 lived a little more than a year after that, and 64 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:27.080 we as myself and my two sisters have learned to 65 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:33.840 deal with life without parents, which is weird. So there's 66 00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:36.159 a lot of material possessions for us to go through. 67 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:39.080 I mean, they were kind of horder I like to 68 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:42.400 say collectors. They were collectors of many, many things, so 69 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:46.439 that meant that the cleanup was long and will continue. 70 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:52.000 I mean, we have filled dumpsters with stuff that really 71 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.840 would have no value to anybody outside of the family. 72 00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:56.280 And even in the family, we were like, what are 73 00:03:56.280 --> 00:03:59.159 we going to do with all this stuff? But in 74 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:02.639 the conversations that we had on Saturday after we do 75 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:08.800 a little graveside service. We have aunts and uncles and 76 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:11.719 family and friends and a couple of close neighbors that 77 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.560 had come over to my parents' house and just did 78 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:18.800 this simple buffet style dinner thing. And it was more 79 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:21.279 about just telling the stories, and there were a few 80 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:24.639 things that resonated with a lot of people. Everybody had 81 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:27.800 stories about my parents, which was nice. Everybody could tell 82 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:30.839 happy things about it or funny things that we didn't 83 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:33.639 know about, and I've shared a lot of the stories 84 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:38.800 on the air about probably for well over a decade. 85 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:44.519 My parents slept outside their marital bed, as my wife 86 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.920 likes to say, was out on the back porch. Even 87 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:50.600 in the wintertime, they would move it under an awning 88 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:52.839 so that it wouldn't get rained on, and when the 89 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:56.040 temperature dipped down into the teens in some nights, they 90 00:04:56.079 --> 00:04:59.079 would turn on an electric blanket to stay warm. But 91 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:03.319 that's that's what they did. They slept outside. And there 92 00:05:03.319 --> 00:05:07.879 were stories about Dad not having a lot of words. 93 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:10.360 He never was a big speaker, but when he did 94 00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:13.160 he was like a sniper sometimes with his sense of humor. 95 00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:17.120 And my mother had the loudest clap of any of 96 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:18.319 the moms at the little. 97 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:19.920 League games or. 98 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:24.839 When our kids were old enough to grow into sports, 99 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:28.480 Grandma still had the loudest clap in the world. Dad 100 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:31.519 had a sneeze that would rattle the windows. For some reason, 101 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:37.240 she would always have this very weird and very stern 102 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:41.279 business tone when she would be in charge of a meeting. 103 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:43.160 Part of that was because she was an elementary school 104 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:45.279 teacher for a long time and then became a principal, 105 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:48.920 so any meeting she was involved with ran like clockwork. 106 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:52.240 And then Dad, every time you would come into the door, 107 00:05:52.279 --> 00:05:56.360 he would yell out, who's in my house? Like I 108 00:05:56.360 --> 00:05:59.720 don't know the giant from Jack and the beanstalk, And 109 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:01.839 it was those things. Those were the stories that we 110 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:07.160 told each other on Saturday to remember because all those 111 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:10.160 material things that we have or will find or have 112 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:14.439 had or keep close to us, those are nice, but 113 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:16.160 it's those other things that are going to be the 114 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:19.800 the memories I think that people are going to hold. 115 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:23.079 So it was tough. It was it was not easy, 116 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:25.240 but like I said, it was their wish. They were 117 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:28.639 buried together in a plot that my dad's family has 118 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:33.720 had for a ridiculously long amount of time and buried 119 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:40.920 next to his parents and my mother's side of the family, 120 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:43.759 she has a cemetery that's acrossed the river as well 121 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:45.639 and just kind of up over a couple of hills. 122 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:48.439 So that's what they wanted. That was their that was 123 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:49.279 their final wish. 124 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:52.879 So the stories about these two people who obviously had, 125 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:55.319 you know, somewhat of an impact on my life, you know, 126 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:59.800 bringing me into this world. Those stories will continue. And 127 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:05.399 if anybody has lost parents, parent, single parent, both parents, 128 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:09.279 whatever it is, I get it. It's an awful club 129 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:12.959 to have to belong to. But the meetings can be fun. 130 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:15.480 For that club, we can get together and we can 131 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:20.279 continue to talk about memories and the fun stuff. So 132 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:26.160 that was my weekend. That being said. Mayor Karen Bass 133 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:29.360 of La realizes the trip to Africa was a bad idea. 134 00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:33.000 She talked to the Great Conan Nolan about that we'll 135 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:35.920 talk with what we'll hear from that interview coming up 136 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:39.839 right at ten o'clock at eleven thirty. Speaking of fires, 137 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:43.639 one of the options for people to rebuild is allowing 138 00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:48.040 contractors to permit their own projects. We'll be talking with 139 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:50.680 Dean Sharp about this, you know, the only guy who's 140 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:53.959 actually probably built a house on this staff, about what 141 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.680 that process means and what it could mean going forward. 142 00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:59.480 Are there dangers to this or is it really something 143 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:01.639 that we should brace in terms of trying to get 144 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:05.800 Altadna Pacific Palisades back up on its feet and in 145 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.600 the process of rebuilding those great communities. So that a 146 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:11.560 lot of other stuff going on in the show today, 147 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:14.519 and you may have heard Handle mention this at the 148 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:17.439 end of his show. There's a great article in the 149 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:22.560 La Times about bumper stickers. I love bumper stickers, but 150 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:25.800 only if they make me laugh. I want to know 151 00:08:25.879 --> 00:08:28.639 what your favorite bumper sticker is. If you're driving around 152 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:31.079 today you happen to see one, hit us up on 153 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:33.159 the talkback feature on the iHeart app and tell us 154 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.519 what it is, or if you have one that you 155 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:38.759 think needs to be shouted out. The greatest bumper stickers 156 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:42.679 ever and as a caveat, I will allow a license 157 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:45.200 plate holder if it's funny. A couple stories that are 158 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:48.440 going on today. The storms that rolled through the South 159 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:52.480 killed at least eleven people over the weekend. Most of 160 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:54.840 the deaths occurred in the state of Kentucky. They said, 161 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:57.279 I think it's ten people died in Kentucky, one in 162 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:01.320 at outside of Atlanta, severe storms rupted because the ongoing 163 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:06.799 flash flood emergencies Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia on Saturday, where 164 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:09.240 the places that were hardest hit more than sixty seven 165 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:13.240 people still underwiter weather alerts yesterday as this thing moved 166 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:17.440 into Georgia and Alabama and Mississippi, and then again this week, 167 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:19.720 we're going to see at another polar vortex. 168 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:20.559 They said. 169 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:24.399 About sixty million people from the Midwest to the northeast 170 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:29.360 expected to experience sub zero temperatures. From montanaa Maine, they said, 171 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:34.159 as far south as Oklahoma you could see sub zero temperatures. Now, 172 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:35.960 we on the other hand, are going to have a 173 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:38.559 great it's going to be you know, seventy five degrees 174 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:44.480 probably this week. Russia and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are 175 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:47.759 going to be holding talks with US officials in Riod, 176 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:50.960 Saudi Arabia tomorrow. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on 177 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:55.080 the ground there, as is Mike Walls, the new National 178 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:58.960 Security Advisor, and Middle East Envoy Steve Whitcoff. All of 179 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:02.000 these are these guys are supposed to be meeting with 180 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:05.799 Russian officials tomorrow. Now they're going to be talking about 181 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:09.519 whatever peace process Ukraine and Russia need to go through 182 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:13.279 to put an end to this now three year old 183 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:17.519 conflict war, whatever term you want to use. Russia invaded 184 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:21.960 Ukraine to try to steal its territory. This is not 185 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:25.080 as easy as it appears, although it has. 186 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:30.480 We are more optimistic now than we ever have been. 187 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:33.440 Part of that is because President Trump did what he 188 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:35.200 said he was going to do. He didn't end it 189 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:36.879 in twenty four hours, which he said he was going 190 00:10:36.919 --> 00:10:39.240 to do, but he did get on the phone with 191 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:42.559 Vladimir Putin and said what do we need to do 192 00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:44.320 to end this thing? And then he got on the 193 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:47.159 phone with Vladimir Zelenski of Ukraine and said what do 194 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:50.000 we need to do to end this thing? Ukraine's president, 195 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:52.360 by the way, is in the Middle East right now. 196 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:55.519 He's in the United Arab Emirates, but he says he's 197 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:59.240 not part of these negotiations, at least not yet. Now 198 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:02.320 there's a couple things about that specifically. First of all, 199 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:05.720 Mark Wayne Mullen is the Center out of Oklahoma and 200 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:08.679 he's on the Armed Services Committee. On one of the 201 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:12.639 Sunday talk shows, he said, Hey, that's okay right now. 202 00:11:12.679 --> 00:11:15.720 We need to figure out what each side needs. And 203 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:19.120 it's okay that they are separated. That we don't have 204 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:22.399 Ukraine and Russia at the talks table together just yet. 205 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:25.279 That's putting both people of getting them in separate rooms 206 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:27.120 talking about what they will. 207 00:11:26.919 --> 00:11:31.240 Accept, and then finding out a negotiation path forward before 208 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:32.440 you bring them to the table. 209 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:36.120 Now, Zelensky has said, to his credit, hey, I'm optimistic 210 00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:41.279 about this. If Vladimir Putin is in fact ready to talk, 211 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:43.039 maybe this thing does work. 212 00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:48.200 If pushing is ready just for you know, just for 213 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:52.159 his father, and if Trump is ready to push him 214 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:57.480 to reel piece, I think we can find it some 215 00:11:58.039 --> 00:11:59.559 two steps of solution. 216 00:12:00.120 --> 00:12:02.360 So there's more sound. I'll get to this in just 217 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:02.879 a second. 218 00:12:02.919 --> 00:12:05.000 But there are a couple of things to remember about 219 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:09.080 how this peace process would go. We the United States 220 00:12:09.159 --> 00:12:13.480 obviously have a huge interest in what goes on in Ukraine, 221 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.240 not just because of sort of the footprint that it 222 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:20.080 gives us a strong ally in that part of the world. 223 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:24.080 There's a lot of stuff in the ground that we 224 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:27.639 could use. Now one of the sticking points, it appears, 225 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:30.960 is going to be whether or not the United States 226 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:38.440 gets a bunch of critical minerals in exchange for the 227 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:42.000 continued aid that we would provide to Ukraine. No boots 228 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:43.559 on the ground, that doesn't appear to be one of 229 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:45.799 the options, and at least not American boots on the 230 00:12:45.799 --> 00:12:49.320 ground as any sort of peacekeeping force, but we would 231 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:53.240 then bankroll a lot of the peacekeeping process that would 232 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:55.960 happen after some sort of a ceasefire. So that's one 233 00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:00.159 of the issues that's up. The other one is the 234 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:05.559 territory itself. Where does Ukraine end and Russia begin. Since 235 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:09.759 twenty fourteen, Russia came in and they took Crimea. In 236 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:13.279 twenty twenty two, they came in and took sections of 237 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:16.639 the eastern and northern parts of Ukraine and continue to 238 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:20.279 occupy them right now. Ukraine meanwhile, has gone into the 239 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:23.120 cursed region of Russia and says this is going to 240 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:25.840 be ours. We need to figure out or they need 241 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:28.399 to figure out, what is the footprint of both of 242 00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:34.600 those countries. And Russia right now occupies about a fifth, 243 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:38.559 about twenty percent of Ukraine and claims that it's always 244 00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:41.440 been Russian territory and claims that it's run by Nazis 245 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:45.519 and claims that the wolf whatever. But they currently occupy 246 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:51.240 twenty percent of Ukraine. Is Ukraine willing to give up 247 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:53.519 that twenty percent, most of it again in the east 248 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:57.519 and the north, in order to have some sort of 249 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:02.120 a lasting peace and Russia willing to give up things 250 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:06.519 like Crimea in order to get that eastern section and 251 00:14:06.679 --> 00:14:12.879 have some sort of lasting piece. The lasting piece, then, 252 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:17.080 of course, comes with peacekeeping. Once we get to the 253 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:23.360 ceasefire place, at least the negotiations. There is a foot 254 00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:26.279 on the gas pedal for Russia, and there is some 255 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:27.960 concern that you're going to see that in the next 256 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:31.799 couple of days and weeks. Major Mike Lyons told CNN today, 257 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:36.720 while we're doing this process, it's very likely that Russia 258 00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:41.480 tries to grab even more territory so that their negotiating 259 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:45.519 position is even better once they actually sit down across 260 00:14:45.559 --> 00:14:46.919 the table from Ukraine. 261 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:48.879 It's the rates against time as Russia tries to gain 262 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:51.879 more space. It's all about leverage from their perspective as 263 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:54.440 they look to control the twenty percent of the LAMB 264 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:57.120 mess that they've had really since twenty fourteen. And I 265 00:14:57.159 --> 00:15:00.919 wouldn't be surprised if you saw offensive operations in from 266 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:05.480 Russia on their aviation assets that land masks the north 267 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:09.679 that Ukraine still hangs onto, especially in the south. The 268 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:11.679 more that they can get until they finally have to 269 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:14.720 say ceasefire and stop will give them much more leverage 270 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:16.360 when that time finally comes. 271 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:19.720 Okay, So one that time finally comes and there is 272 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:24.159 a ceasefire, who protects that ceasefire? Who ensures that it 273 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:28.240 is in place? Is it a group of European nations 274 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:35.440 or is it specifically NATO? Shannon's out today. California's insurance Commissioner, 275 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:38.639 Ricardo Lara, has rejected State Farm's request for an emergency 276 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:42.960 rate increase, at least so far. He's been urging insurance 277 00:15:42.960 --> 00:15:45.519 companies to write policies in the state again despite the 278 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:48.559 increasing wildfire risk. He said in a letter to State Farm, 279 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:51.480 he's going to need more information before he can approve 280 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:54.320 the twenty two percent rate increase. So he's asked them 281 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:57.679 to show up next week. I believe it is to 282 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:00.440 the insurance Department's office to answer questions and what he 283 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:04.600 referred to as a as an informal conference of some kind. 284 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:10.639 Pope francis battling a complex and clinical medical condition. The 285 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:13.559 Vatican says that he was admitted to the hospital after 286 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:18.399 suffering from a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection. It will require 287 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:23.440 extensive drug therapy and an appropriate hospital stay. We've been 288 00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:27.519 talking about what's going on with the push now by 289 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:32.440 the Trump administration to begin some sort of talks between 290 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:35.879 Russia and Ukraine to put an end to this conflict 291 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:38.840 that began in February of twenty twenty two when Russia 292 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:43.799 invaded Ukraine. Joining us talk more about this is Brett Samuels, 293 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:46.639 one of the reporters for The Hill who has written 294 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:50.960 about this and about some of the European and angles 295 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:51.799 to all of this. 296 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:53.799 Brett, thanks for taking time for us today. 297 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:56.159 Yeah, thanks for having me on. 298 00:16:56.159 --> 00:17:00.600 One of the issues that has cropped up is whether 299 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:04.039 or not Ukraine would be allowed membership into NATO, and 300 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:06.680 it's kind of hard to determine what the Trump administration 301 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:10.559 feels about that. I mean, all indications are that that 302 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:14.400 would not be part of the negotiations. But then JD Vance, 303 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:18.119 the Vice President, said, it's clear when my boss goes 304 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:21.759 to the negotiating table, everything's on the table. So what 305 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:25.039 is the likelihood that Ukraine joins NATO as part of 306 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:25.720 this ceasefire? 307 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.720 Yeah, certainly, to your point, some sort of mixed signals 308 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:33.200 out of the gates from the Trump administration last week. 309 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:36.039 But I think, you know, the takeaway as far as 310 00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:39.839 NATO membership goes, I think is that the Trump administration, 311 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:44.440 trump officials view it as unlikely at best. I think 312 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:48.000 that Ukraine, you know, will end up as a member 313 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:51.400 of NATO, you know, certainly as they go to the 314 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:55.039 negotiating table here. You know, obviously we heard pet Hegsas, 315 00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:57.960 who's the Defense secretary kind of you know, came out 316 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:00.839 and said that it's unrealistic for you crane to expect 317 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:04.400 to join NATO. You know, he says, some criticism from 318 00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:07.759 folks who suggested that that was essentially giving away bargaining 319 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:11.079 ships before they even went to the bargaining table. As 320 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:13.200 you mentioned, Jadie Vance, the Vice President, try to kind 321 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:15.599 of walk that back. But we've heard Trump himself sort 322 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:20.279 of say that he's skeptical of Ukraine joining NATO, has suggested, 323 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:25.119 you know, echoing Russia essentially, that maybe Ukraine wanting to 324 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:27.640 join NATO was a reason for Russia invading in the 325 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:30.960 first place. So, you know, all indications right now from 326 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:34.759 the Trump administration are that that Ukraine joining NATO certainly 327 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:37.400 seems unlikely. The question is whether they fully take it 328 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:40.519 off the table before these negotiations begin in earnest. 329 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:44.599 At that Munich Security conference over the weekend, other leaders 330 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:48.680 from places like Iceland, like Great Britain expressed at least 331 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:53.039 some consternation that they're not involved in these talks despite 332 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:58.960 their geographic locations. Does that impact does that does that 333 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:02.319 complaint move the Trump administration at all to include them 334 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:02.920 in these talks? 335 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:06.319 Yeah. I think it's an interesting point you bring up, because, 336 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:10.119 you know, one of the sort of core arguments that 337 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:12.359 Trump and his team have made is this idea that 338 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:15.759 because Europe closer to the conflict, Europe should have a 339 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:18.720 greater responsibility or a greater role in supporting Ukraine. But 340 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:20.920 at the same time, as you mentioned, you know, there's 341 00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:23.400 this question of whether Ukraine or Europe as a whole 342 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:26.000 will really have a seat at the negotiating table here. 343 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:30.799 So you know, certainly, I think, you know, we've again 344 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:33.960 gotten sort of mixed signals, whereas some Trump administration officials 345 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:36.720 have said, you know that Ukraine will have a say 346 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:41.599 in negotiations here, but at least initially, the talks appear 347 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:44.440 in Saudi Arabia happening this week, appear to just be 348 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:49.160 between the Trump administration and Russian officials. So, you know, Europe, 349 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:52.359 I think is sort of preparing for the potential that 350 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:55.200 you know, they may have to sort of move forward 351 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:58.480 here without US support for Ukraine or without US support 352 00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:01.720 for sort of Europe's role and back in Ukraine. Certainly, 353 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:05.319 I think there the folks in Europe are preparing for that, 354 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:07.119 for that reality and then contingency. 355 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:10.160 The other thing is that Zelensky is in the Middle East. 356 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:12.839 I think he is supposed to arrive in Saudi Arabia tomorrow, 357 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:15.400 but he also is not a part of these talks. 358 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:19.000 This is just as of right now, Russian officials and 359 00:20:19.079 --> 00:20:24.720 American officials, and I to the layman, it almost looks 360 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:29.000 like they being Ukraine. Ukraine doesn't have a lot of 361 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:31.160 say in what's going on or is it just this 362 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:33.960 is step one? Step two would be to meet with Ukraine. 363 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:35.960 Is there a way to figure that out? 364 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:38.720 I think certainly what you're getting at is I think 365 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:42.240 one of the big concerns from uh, you know, from Europe, 366 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:46.759 from Ukraine, certainly from Democrats this is this is maybe 367 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:49.079 the biggest shift I think from what we saw for 368 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:52.799 three years from the Biden administration was this idea of 369 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:55.400 you know nothing about Ukraine, with how Ukraine, that everything 370 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:58.960 was in lockstep with European allies. You know, every aid 371 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:01.839 package or announcement about Ukraine was announced sort of in 372 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:06.240 unison with with folks in Europe. And now with Trump, 373 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:08.000 it's sort of this shift where you know, he spoke 374 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:10.799 to Putin's and then he spoke to Zelenski on the phone. 375 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:13.599 You know, they're meeting with Russian officials, and then they'll 376 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:15.880 sort of loop in Ukrainian officials. I think there is 377 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:19.400 a sort of concern, certainly from Zelenskin from Ukraine that 378 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:21.799 they're sort of being uh maybe boxed out a bit 379 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:24.839 here and that they're sort of going to be you know, 380 00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:27.200 brought in after the fact, just sign off on whatever 381 00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:30.359 may be negotiated. Certainly, I think, you know, there'll be 382 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:33.039 public pressure from Ukraine and from Europe for for Ukraine 383 00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:34.839 to have a greater say and a greater seat at 384 00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:38.440 the table. So we'll see certainly if that happens moving forward, 385 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:41.000 but it does seem initially for these these initial talks 386 00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:45.240 tomorrow that that it's going to be Russian in the US, 387 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:47.279 and then we'll see kind of where Ukraine stands and 388 00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:50.279 how much how much influence they have moving forward after that. 389 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:54.240 And do European countries, especially those that you know currently 390 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:59.640 border Ukraine, whether it's Romania, Poland, do they have the 391 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:03.359 mill terry's strength to provide a peacekeeping force in the 392 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:06.480 event that it's as in the event that that is 393 00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:07.720 part of a ceasefire deal. 394 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:10.519 Yeah, I think you know, that's that's a good point 395 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:12.160 you bring up, because I think that is something that 396 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:16.720 has sort of been discussed among various European leaders, is 397 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:20.200 this idea of how do they enforce in eventual peace 398 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:23.759 agreement or ceasefire agreement. And we've we've seen you know, 399 00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:27.359 the Prime Minister of Britain's here Starmer, actually came out 400 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:30.799 just recently and said, you know, that the British troops 401 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:32.599