"the mehdi hasan show" starts right now. good evening. i'm mehdi hasan. the invasion of ukraine by russia is a lot of things. it's illegal for a start. a violation of the u.n. charter, a war crime. what stands out most, what makes it so egregious is in 2022 the world is watching a brazen attempt to strangle democracy to a neighboring country. that was putin's plan to topple the government in kyiv, to detain or most likely kill ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky who came to power 2013 with the vote. the attack on ukraine is an

outrage. i yield to no one in my criticism of the iraq war, but at least it was a brutal dictatorship and nobody would contest ridding the world of saddam hussein was no bad thing. what is happening in ukraine should matter so much to awful us. we are witnessing assaults on democracy and freedom across the globe, the rise of authoritarianism from russia to brazil to venezuela to the middle east and here at home too. one recent study found that the state of democracy around the world fell to a record low last year. that is the context for tonight's special two-hour edition of this show. democracy versus autocracy. it's a theme the president of the united states has been banging about since coming to office last year.

last night in warsaw in a major address in the war in ukraine, joe biden doubled down while referencing the end of the cold war. >> nothing about that battle for freedom was simple or easy. it was a long, painful slog fought over not days and months but years and decades, but we emerged anew in a great battle for freedom. a battle between democracy and autocracy, between liberty and repression, between a rules- based order and one governed by brute force. in this battle, we need to be clear eyed. this battle will not be won in days or months either. we need to steel ourselves for the long fight ahead. >> that is the right framing. democracy versus autocracy. that is what's at stake not

just in ukraine, but globally right now. joe biden was at its best in poland yesterday. no doubt about that. inspiring in his rhetoric, spot on in his analysis. he does have a tendency to also go off script too. he ended with these words. >> for god's sake, this man cannot remain in power. >> which his aides were scrambling to walk back straight after he was done. those words weren't in his prepared remarks and did sound like the u.s. was embarking on a very dangerous policy of regime change in moscow, something secretary of state anthony blinken had to deny this morning in jerusalem. still, the sentiment behind biden's gaffe is correct. putin shouldn't be in power. he wasn't elected in a free and fair election and he's ruling right now as a tyrant locking up protesters and shutting down media organizations. of course, we have a fair, few tyrannical friends of our own, something i'll discuss later this hour and we have our own

issues with democracy and freedom here at home. oh, yes. still, as the u.s. ambassador to uganda, natalie brown said two days after the insurrection on january 6th last year, when we speak out against human rights abuses, we do so because such abuses do not occur in america. when we speak out for press freedom not because american journalists are free of harris. ment. we harassment. our history has taught us that democracy must be defended if it is to endure. wise words indeed. democracy must be defended at home, abroad, among our adversaries and among our allies. that's what tonight's special, two-hour show is all about. in the first hour, we'll talk about what's happening in

ukraine and across the globe. in the second half from 9:00 p.m., we'll talk about the pernicious, right wing assault on democracy here in the united states. the fight against rising autocracy won't be easy. i get it. the u.s. is hardly the most credible of messengers. in the context of ukraine in particular, joe biden struck a powerfully optimistic note towards the end of his speech last night. >> during this hour, let the words of pope john paul burn as brightly today. never ever give up hope. never doubt. never tire. never become discouraged. be not afraid! a dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase a people's love for liberty.

brutality will never grind down the world free. people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness. we'll have a brighter future rooted in democracy and hope and light, of decency and possibilities. >> joining me an expert panel. jason stanley professor of philosophy at yale university. ruth bengeat history professor. gary locke, former u.s. ambassador to china and former governor of washington. thank you all for joining me this evening. jason, let me start with you. is it fair to frame the russia- ukraine war of one of autocracy versus democracy? is that what a lot of this is about? >> absolutely. after the midon revolution of 2014, ukraine became a real democracy with all its

struggles. that's not to say there aren't issues of corruption that face every democracy. what we have leer is an example of a nation that's embracing cosmopolitan liberal democracy. when soldiers fight for a democracy, they fight because they choose to fight. they choose to fight. what we are seeing in the ukrainian struggle is people who choose to fight for their country. >> ruth, you have studied strong men and dictators going back decades. how historic is this moment we are in right now given the seemingly global decline in democracy? >> it's absolutely historic starting with the fact that we are seeing both in the poor military performance the evident miscalculation of

putin. it's like the emperor has no clothes because autocrats like putin use fear and repression to make people and the personality stripping his shirt off, the defender, the big macho man to make people think they are omnipotent and infallible. this shows none of those things are true. it is quite a blow to these myths that have gone around for too long about the supposed advantages of autocracy. instead, we see how much people are rooted in the desire for freedom. there's never been a more clear and evident demonstration of that than right now. >> ambassador locke, is the united states positioned to lead this fight against autocracy globally given our democratic challenges at home, given our undemocratic allies in places like the middle east,

or have we lost a lot of credibility on the global stage when it comes to democracy promotion? >> certainly, our image as a beacon of democracy has been tarnished by the contested election, refusal of trump to concede and the efforts to overturn the election and, of course, the mob violence on january 6th. still, we are that beacon of democracy and, yes, we have our faults. at least we acknowledge our faults and we know we are not perfect. so, yes, i think that we can stand as an example and we must lead this effort. certainly, what we are seeing in ukraine is both tragic, absolutely tragic and the brutality of putin and the fact that he has no limits in terms of trying to take over the country not through political persuasion, but by brute force, by killings, by the dislocation of the people, but it is also inspiring to see the uprising

of the ukrainian people in protest and that they are willing to give their lives to defend their country to protect their democracy. >> ambassador locke, were you surprise the by the forcefulness of the speech joe biden gave in warsaw and surprised at the end about the line that putin shouldn't be in charge of russia? >> i think everybody agrees. it may not be diplomatic to say that. certainly, given the brutality he has inflicted, the killing, the deaths, the dislocation he has inflicted on ukraine, there's really no excuse for him remaining in power. of course, that's up to the people within russia to change, but certainly it is the sentiment of the world. >> i do enjoy it when a diplomat comes on the show and says it's not diplomatic to say that. glad to hear you speaking that way. panel, stick around.

we'll continue this important discussion after a very short break. all of you stick around. later on in the show, i'll speak with the rifle wielding ukrainian member of parliament who says she is willing to do anything to protect her country and its democracy. does daily stress leave you feeling out of sync? new dove men stress-relief body wash... with a plant-based adaptogen, helps alleviate stress on skin. so you can get back in sync. new dove men. a restorative shower for body and mind. you're pretty particular about keeping a healthy body. what goes on it... usually. ♪♪

in it... mostly. even what gets near your body. please please please take that outside. here to meet those high standards is the walgreens health and wellness brand. over 2000 products. rigorously tested. walgreens pharmacist recommended... and particularly kind to your wallet. ♪♪ tums vs. mozzarella stick and particularly kind when heartburn hits, fight back fast with tums chewy bites. fast heartburn relief in every bite. crunchy outside, chewy inside. ♪ tums, tums, tums, tums ♪ tums chewy bites ♪ ♪ it's electric... made extraordinary. ingenuity... in motion. it listens, learns, adapts and anticipates your every need. with intelligence... that feels anything but artificial. the eqs from mercedes-benz.

it's the car electric has been waiting for. this is xfinity rewards. our way of showing our appreciation. with rewards of all shapes and sizes. [ cheers ] are we actually going? yes!! and once in a lifetime moments. two tickets to nascar! yes! find rewards like these

and so many more in the xfinity app. as a small business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving with comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network. with no line activation fees or term contracts. saving you up to $500 a year. so boost your bottom line by switching today. get the new samsung galaxy s22 series on comcast business mobile and for a limited time save up to $750 on a new samsung device with eligible trade-in. we're talking democracy this hour and the next. my expert panel is still with me. philosopher jason stanley,

former ambassador and governor gary locke. when we talk about the rise of global ill illiberalism, what do they have in common? >> what's in common is an attempt to attack the liberal idea of different groups living together, of freedoms, of leaders being replaced in a democratic, normal way and a sort of tolerant, multiethnic society and a rules-based system. if you have a rules-based system internationally, then you can place restrictions on multinational corporations, on fossil fuel companies. you can get labor rights. if you break each country into little, warring sects, then the multinational corporations can do whatever they want and have whatever relations they want

between individual leaders and you don't have a rules-based international system. >> ruth, given your study of strong men and autocrats, what do you think is the best way of dealing with a vladimir putin? do we need to appeal to his ego, give him some form of off ramp because biden yesterday was saying he can't stay on as leader in russia calling him a butcher and war criminal? is that helpful in this scenario? >> i was really glad that biden came out so strongly because we have coddled these people for far too long. these are gangsters. there's a reason putin and also orban's hungary, they are called mafia states and biden is perfect in being so strong and so resolute in calling these people out for what they are. the kremlin spokesperson said, oh, biden shouldn't have said that. it's only for russians to decide which is true, but then he said putin has been elected

by the russians. not really because they don't have fair and free elections in russia and putin has to game the whole system. anybody who is a real contender is killed like boris or sent to jail. he can't really -- this is the weakness of the strong man. they can't actually have fair and free elections in and a free press because they probably wouldn't last very long. >> ambassador locke, in his first press conference last year, joe biden says xi jinping sees the test. is that how china sees the world and do you think they'll be inspired to do to taiwan what russia has done to ukraine? >> certainly, they will be watching to see how the west reacts and continues to react to russia and putin for the invasion of ukraine whether or not the west has the real

resolve to sustain and keep the sanctions in place, whether or not they are willing to cut themselves off from oil and natural gas from russia. 40% of the natural gas that europe uses comes from russia and so much more of the petroleum comes from russia. how far is the west really going to go in standing up for its principles in denouncing putin and the invasion of ukraine or will they succumb to their own economic political needs? china is surprised how swiftly and firmly and extensively the west has imposed these sanctions on russia and clearly they would be very wary and concerned about similar type of sanctions against it were it to take military action against taiwan. >> quick, last question, ambassador. do you think the bigger barrier to dealing with the china and russia of the world are economic or the fact they are

nuclear-armed powers? >> i think it's a combination of the two. they certainly have economic power over the west. when so many of the products that we use in our daily lives in the united states and throughout europe come from china, how can you really impose some of these sanctions because you'd also be cutting off your supply of shoes, clothes, sporting goods, machinery, et cetera, et cetera, and our farmers sell much of their output to china, so huge economic sanctions in cutting off china from the world trading system would impact americans in their daily lives. the question is how far are we willing to go. how far are the europeans willing to go when faced with invasions and tyrants like putin? >> yeah, how much are we willing to fight and pay higher

gas price as soon as ambassador gary locke, thank you for your time. ruth and jason, stick around. we'll be sticking to you about america's democratic crisis at the top of the 9:00 hour. next, we'll speak with ukrainian mb did what her country needs with the russian invasion. some of the stories we are watching for you at this hour one day after a wildfire spurred evacuation orders for 19,000 people in colorado. that inferno is 35% contained. the boulder incident management team saying zero structures were lost and zero injuries reported so far. a woman who was taking a boating trip in the grand canyon died on thursday. she fell into the rapids of the colorado river. it is unclear whether she was wearing a life vest. park rangers are investigating that. a construction worker was killed while working on the demolition of a parking garage saturday night. the worker suffered a substantial fall when part of the parking garage collapsed. the area around the parking

garage has been shutdown until further notice. more of "the mehdi hasan show" after this. need. action. cut. you can't say that. [phone rings] sorry. is this where they're gonna put the statue of liberty? liberty... are we married to mutual? cut. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ we hit the bike trails every weekend only pay for what you need. shinges doesn't care. i grow all my own vegetables shingles doesn't care. we've still got the best moves you've ever seen good for you, but shingles doesn't care. because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. but, no matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age increasing your risk for getting shingles. so, what can protect you? shingrix protects. you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90% effective.

shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your pharmacist or doctor about shingrix. shingles doesn't care. but you should.

centuries ago, native californians thrived on this land. now, we share a destiny with all californians. when voters granted our sovereign nations exclusive gaming rights, it advanced self-sufficiency and created thousands of good jobs. but now, out of state corporations are coming to california. their online sports betting initiative would break the promise between us. it's bad for tribes and all californians. join us. protect the promise.

does daily stress leave you feeling out of sync? new dove men stress-relief body wash... with a plant-based adaptogen, helps alleviate stress on skin. so you can get back in sync. new dove men. a restorative shower for body and mind.

you're not asking for american soldiers on the ground? >> we are not asking for american soldiers, but we need all the support with all the weapons including the anti-air, including the airplanes, everything to stop this brutal destruction. if you look at everything that happens again, you know, use of bombs, use of missiles, use prohibited by the geneva convention everywhere like mariupol and others, we need unstoppable flow of supplies from everyone who is willing to give it to us in order to win. >> that was ambassador on "meet the press."

she expressed gratitude for president biden's words and support for ukraine, but is hoping for more than words of support from americans. ukrainian president zelensky said he was prepared to discuss guarantees, nonnuclear status of our state, we are willing to go for it. joining me, a member of parliament and leader of the voice opposition party kira rudik. the theme of our special show tonight is democracy versus autocracy. there are some in america on the political right who think america shouldn't be backing the ukraine because they say it isn't democratic enough. have a listen to fox's tucker carlson. >> the point is to defend democracy not that ukraine is a democracy. this is not a democracy. ukraine's president has arrested his main political opponent and shutdown those who dare to criticize him. you could wall ukraine a tyranny. >> as an elected ukrainian

lawmaker, leader of opposition party, what is your response to statements like that? >> hello. thank you so much for having me. well, ukraine is a democracy, and again as leader of oppositional party, as person who used to criticize president zelensky up to the day one of war, i can tell you my rights are not taken down right now. we are working as one team. this is true. in ukrainian parliament when we are gathering, we are voting all together. i can tell you right away that before showing this unity to people, we have for our discussions with my party, political party every single day before we come to consensus, before we come to conclusion to show our people that we are united, to show our people that ukrainian parliament is working as one. it is critically important right now to show that

democracy and democratic institutions work, but behind that i can tell you there is still political parties, there is still different views, and the point that we have agreed within ourselves, that we will be coming out as one does not mean we changed our political views. so, as a liberal party, we are still standing for our liberal values and discuss them with all the arguments with our departments in the parliament. however, i still think it is critically important for our country that the parliament will be showing the consensus every single time we are advocating. >> kira, the ukrainian ambassador to the u.s. was on "meet the press" today making the same point your president was make that go ukraine doesn't need u.s. boots on the ground, but needs an unlimited supply of weapons from the u.s. will that be enough weapon supplies for ukrainians for

holding off the russian assault on your country? >> it depends on what the goal is. if the goal is to continue the war, yes, everything we need is in limited supply. keep adding oil to our fire. we will standing up. we will be fighting russians, and we will be pushing them back. they will be pushing us forward. we are fighting against one of the largest armies in the world. however, if we need to win this war and we as ukrainians we do need to win this war, then we need something more than limited supplies. we need the fighter jets. we need the air force protection. we need those patriots. we need those s-300s. everything we have been continuously asking for, we need to protect our skies. the issue that we are seeing right now is that russia is doing very poorly on the ground and this is why we are fighting them, but they are doing very well in the air. this is why they are able to

destroy our cities and this is why they are able to keep us in a constant threat of destruction. >> you said a moment ago passionately ukraine will and needs to win there war. reuters is reporting that zelensky told journalists he might be which will to put neutrality to referendum as a way to end the war and getting russia to withdraw. is that something you would do support the referendum and support neutrality as a way to end the horrific conflict in getting the russians out? >> well, first of all, president saying that he will do referendum again is telling you that we are democracy. second, i do not believe that the peaceful agreement with putin would ever work. in 2014 when he invaded our eastern territories and took the crimea, we had neutral status. i do not believe in the neutral

status itself. the issue is in the new security agreements that the whole world needs to get into because no agreements with putin will matter until we get the security guarantees from the other countries. so, without that, there is no point in referendum. without that there is no point in agreeing to something with putin. >> last, quick question. you went viral globally last month when you posted a picture of yourself with an ak-47 saying you were going to have to learn to use it to protect your country. correct me if i'm wrong, but thankfully, you personally haven't had to use it so far. how many people in kyiv are there for you who aren't men signing up for active duty but are willing to stay, fight and kill if, god willing, the time comes? >> you're right. at this point i didn't have to do it. i am training. on 33rd day of war, i am much, much better than on day one. i improve all the time.

i am getting the privilege to be able to have a perspective of fighting with our armed forces if there will be a need. half the population of kyiv, people who left and people who stayed right now. many, many of us are armed and continue to join the resistance that is getting ready to fight russian forces. we are getting ready every single day that we are not getting russians in kyiv, we are getting more and more prepared. we are getting more and more resilient, and we are making kyiv our capital a real fortress. >> kira rudik, we'll leave it there and hope you never have to leave that weapon. stay safe. thank you for your time. >> thank you and glory to ukraine. next, is there a chance for

diplomacy in ukraine? my conversation with the french ambassador to the u.s. plus "the mehdi hasan show" is available as a podcast. you can listen for free wherever you get your podcast. allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! flonase all good. wayfair's got just what you need to be outdoorsy. your way! shop the biggest selection of outdoor furniture and furnish your habitat from your habitat. get a new grill and cook over an open flame. now that's outdoorsy! go wild on garden decor, find shelter from the elements and from predators or just be one with nature. this year spend less and go all outdoorsy at wayfair.

♪ wayfair you got just what i need ♪ so, you found the no7 then. it's amazing... hydrates better than the expensive stuff. i don't live here, so i'm taking this and whatever's in the back. it's already sold in the us. but i'm not taking any chances. the uk's best kept skincare secret. [sound of helicopter blades] but i'm not taking any chances. ugh... they found me. ♪ ♪ nice suits, you guys blend right in. the world needs you back. i'm retired greg, you know this. people have their money just sitting around doing nothing... that's bad, they shouldn't do that. they're getting crushed by inflation. well, i feel for them. they're taking financial advice from memes. [baby spits out milk] i'll get my onesies®. ♪ “baby one more time” by britney spears ♪ good to have you back, old friend. yeah, eyes on the road, benny. welcome to a new chapter in investing. [ding] e*trade now from morgan stanley.

inner voice (kombucha brewer): as a new small business owner, i find it useful to dramatically stare out of the window... ...so that no one knows i'm secretly terrified inside. inner voice (sneaker shop owner): i'm using hand gestures and pointing... ...so no one can tell i'm unsure about my business finances. inner voice (furniture maker): i'm constantly nodding... ...because i know everything about furniture... ...but with the business side... ...i'm feeling a little lost. quickbooks can help. an easy way to get paid, pay your staff and know where your business stands. new business? no problem. yeah. success starts with intuit quickbooks.

you speak of liberty, egalty, fraternity. each of those words are very important to you and ukrainians believe in this too and we are

expecting that your leadership will help encourage russia to seek peace, to put an end to this war against liberty, equality and brotherhood. >> that was president zelensky addressing the french parliament where he underscored the need for more arms and i am joined by the french ambassador to the u.s. philippe etienne. thank you for coming on the show. this morning ukrainian ambassador to the u.s. appeared on "meet the press." >> what is the state of the negotiations with the russians? >> well, you know, as we said from the beginning, we are ready to negotiate. we are ready to negotiate the humanitarian corridors where we are trying to get the safe people and we are ready to negotiate always, but we are not ready to surrender.

>> i wonder, ambassador, is a ukrainian surrender the only thing putin would accept? where do negotiations stand right now in the view of the french government especially given last month before the war president macron traveled to speak to putin and i believe he continues to speak with him on the phone? >> absolutely. thank you for having me. thank you for showing this very powerful address of president zelensky to the french parliament and he recalled for instance world war i, the trenches in verdun when france was devastated by the army of our neighbor. this was very powerful and he also mentioned the fact that there is a very close coordination between himself and president macron. this close coordination is what is essential when you mention the talks between president macron and the russian president. those talks always happen in close coordination with the president of ukraine, with

president zelensky. the goal exactly as my ukrainian colleague has said is to at one point come first to a cease-fire and second to a real negotiation and a real negotiation, it is a decision where it is not about ukraine surrendering as she said, but attaining real peace which means in particular as the deputy from ukrainian told you obtaining guarantees for its own security and respect for its sovereignty. >> yes, and yesterday in parliament, joe biden said europe must end its dependence on fossil fuels. is that something they agree to do? more than agreeing. we are as a presidency, we have convened many meetings of the european union and this war,

this war, the comeback of war to europe has obliged europe to look at things differently, to transform itself. once of the transformations is the decision to become independent, more independent for energy supply and independent from energy supply coming from russia. we are doing that. we have taken measures already. we want to be independent from supplies of energy coming from russia. >> president biden said in warsaw in what is believed to be an ad-lib remark, for god's sake, this man cannot remain in power. he said this morning he is not calling for regime change. is it the view of the government that putin cannot remain in power? >> as i told you, we are discussing with the president, the russian president, in close coordination with president

zelensky. one of the things we addressed in those discussions and the reason why we, of course, don't use necessarily the same language is that we have to address also the humanitarian situation and one of the points my president wants to talk during the next call with the russian president in close coordination with the president zelensky and with the local authorities is the dire situation is a town mariupol. we have decided together with the president of turkey and also the prime minister of greece to as much as possible to make big efforts to allow the population of mariupol to escape from this hell which the russian bombings are causing -- have been causing in this town. >> ambassador, tonight we are discussing the struggle between democracy and autocracy. is it possible to succeed when western democracies are

struggling with democracy so badly themselves? we talk about america's many flaws and challenges. we'll talk more about that in the next hour. in france, you have not one but two illiberal far right candidates running for the presidency. are western democracies able to lead a fight against illiberal forces globally given the rise of illiberal forces within those democracies including france? >> well, i like very much at the beginning of your show the quotation of an american ambassador saying if we fight for the democracy in the world, it is not because we think our democracies are perfect. i think it is a very important point. what is important also here in this reaction we have against the russian invasion of ukraine, it is our unity. so, to be aware of our own challenges and to fight united

when something as important as this issue now at stake with the brutal invasion of ukraine, we are united and we could see at the last summit in brussels, the g7, the nato, also the meeting between president biden and the eu summit, we are united. we have taken decisive measures, sanctions which are increasing every time help for ukraine. we are united in the essential steps to handle this unique crisis and to address the war in ukraine waged by russia. >> ambassador philippe etienne, thank you so much for your time tonight. appreciate it. coming up, it's all well and good calling out autocracy when it comes to our enemies, but how about when it comes to our undemocratic friends? my commentary on that is next. don't go away. orative shower for body and mind.

for people living with h-i-v, keep being you. and ask your doctor about biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. and ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you.

certified turbocharger, suspension and fuel injection. if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. translation: certified goosebumps. certified from headlamp to tailpipe. that's certified head turns. and it's all backed by our unlimited mileage warranty. that means unlimited peace of mind. mercedes-benz certified pre-owned. translation: the mercedes of your dreams is closer than you think. ♪♪ making friends again, billy? i like to keep my enemies close. guys, excuse me. i didn't quite get that. i'm hard of hearing.

♪♪ oh hey, don't forget about the tense music too. would you say tense? i'd say suspenseful. aren't they the same thing? can we move on guys, please? alexa, turn on the subtitles. and dim the lights. ok, dimming the lights.

this week president biden traveled to warsaw, poland, to deliver a powerful speech in defense of ukrainian sovereignty and democratic principles around the world. >> we must commit now to be in this fight for the long haul. we must remain unified today and tomorrow and the day after and for the years and decades to come. it will not be easy. there will be costs, but it is a price we have to pay because the darkness that drives autocracy is ultimately no match for the flame of liberty that lights the souls of free people everywhere. >> the president's words were both compelling and necessary. there's no doubt about that. it's what he didn't mention or who he didn't mention that i want to focus on for a moment because let's be honest. you can't say you are leading a fight against autocracy and in defense of democracy without also acknowledging that we, the united states, just so happen to be allied with very

unsavory, very undemocratic folks abroad. the united states for decades now has been in bed with the saudis and egyptians and the turks and uzbeks. countries and regimes that more than test our tolerance for what we excuse as morally ambiguous behavior. just two weeks ago, saudi held its largest mass execution in decades even as it continues to bomb civilians in yemen. more recently the uae welcomed one of the grand poobahs of what war crimes and the argument has always been though the u.s. government turns a blind eye to democracy to some of our allies because we need and get their support on issues that matter to us. that's the deal. that's the bargain. ukraine shows that's not always the case either. if you expected the saudis to follow the u.s. to condemn russia's illegal invasion, you would be wrong. not only have they refused to

denounce the war but are avoiding president biden's calls. something the white house denies. they are no doubt jumping up and down to fill the gap in russian oil. we have a number of allies who are not just undemocratic, but are not sticking to the faustian bargain we made in the first place. i'm glad president biden delivered his address in warsaw. we need a vocal defender of democracy on the global stage now. i wish he would give that same speech in riyadh or cairo too. next, i'm ask about the demand for the u.s. government to declassify information about possible russian war crimes. i made for marco. oh yeah? well, check out this tux. oh, nice. that'll go perfect with these. dude... those are so fire. [whines]

only pay for what you need. ♪liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.♪ does daily stress leave you feeling out of sync? new dove men stress-relief body wash... with a plant-based adaptogen, helps alleviate stress on skin. so you can get back in sync. new dove men. a restorative shower for body and mind. (vo) small businesses are joining the big switch. save over $1,000 when you switch to our ultimate business plan for the lowest price ever. plus choose from the latest 5g smartphones. get more 5g bars in more places- switch to t-mobile for business today. life... doesn't stop for diabetes. be ready for every moment, with glucerna. it's the number one doctor recommended brand that is scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. live every moment. glucerna.

live every moment. i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger. does daily stress leave you feeling out of sync? new dove men stress-relief body wash... with a plant-based adaptogen, helps alleviate stress on skin. so you can get back in sync.

new dove men. a restorative shower for body and mind.