The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.18 The Delta Plane Crash Is Crazy, Is Trump Helping Andrew Tate Now, and US & Russia Look To Partner 👀

Episode Date: February 18, 2025

Subscribe for New shows every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday @ 6pm ET/3pm PST & watch more here:  https://youtu.be/JreEHjYTnf0?si=hAk0C8ic-KryTZBM&list=PLHcsGizlfLMWpSg7i0b9wnUyEZWI-25N3&index=1&t  Go to https://bit.ly/ZipRecruiterDEFRANCO to try ZipRecruiter for free. Use code defranco at https://incogni.com/defranco to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan. https://BeautifulBastard.com Get yourself some of our new shirts, crews, and hoodies! copy pasting old ones will lead to an increase of sales and codes being pushed that are no longer active  – ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Delta Plane Crashes While Landing at Toronto Airport 02:31 - Trump’s Mass Firings & Layoffs Hit the FAA 10:27 - Sponsored by Ziprecruiter 11:32 - Trump Admin. Reportedly Pressuring Romania to Lift Restrictions for Tate Brothers 13:34 - White House Says Elon Musk Isn’t an Employee of DOGE, & Other DOGE Updates 18:37 - Sponsored by Incogni  19:44 - U.S. and Russia Hold Initial Peace Talks Without Ukraine ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxwell Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks, Matthew Henry Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Chris Tolve, Star Pralle, Jared Paolino  ———————————— For more Philip DeFranco: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-philip-defranco-show/id1278424954 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ESemquRbz6f8XLVywdZ2V Twitter:   https://x.com/PhillyD Instagram:   https://instagram.com/PhillyDeFranco Newsletter: https://www.dailydip.co TikTok:   https://www.tiktok.com/@philipdefranco?lang=en ———————————— #DeFranco #AndrewTate #Delta ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So you're hosting the family barbecue this week, but everyone knows your brother is the grill guy, and it's highly likely he'll be backseat barbecuing all night. So be it. Impress even the toughest of critics with freshly prepared Canadian barbecue favorites from Sobeys. What in the hell is happening? Also, I understand it's 2025. I got to be more specific. What is happening with air travel right now? We just landed. Our plane crashed. It's upside down. Right, so that was Delta Airlines flight 4819,

and that video was taken Monday afternoon by John Nelson, who was a passenger on a flight from Minneapolis to Toronto. And as far as the specifics here, right, that flight was operated by Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta, and as it came in for the landing, the weather was reportedly rough. We had 20 to 30 mile per hour winds with reported gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.

And this is apparently the runway was covered with snow with the temperature dropping to 18 degrees Fahrenheit or just negative two degrees with the wind chill. With Nelson then explaining to ABC what it was like when the plane touched down. We hit the runway really hard and like extremely hard and we kind of popped up and it felt like we were leaning to

the left. Right. Next, we see the moment of disaster on a witness's phone as the plane flipped completely upside down and burst into flames. We skidded like on our side and then flipped over on our back. There was a giant firewall down the side. I could actually feel the heat through the through the glass. And to give you a sense of just how hard this thing must have crashed, apparently the tail and one of the wings got completely torn off. And so with all this, right, immediately air traffic controllers, paramedics, and firefighters, they leap into action.

Life flight one, just so you are aware, there's people outside walking around the aircraft there. Yeah, we've got a aircraft, there's upside down and burning. Right, because the big thing here is not only might people be hurt, but there's a fire, which means there could be an explosion. Meanwhile, you've got these passengers

strapped into their seats still, hanging upside down and utterly shell-shocked. We released the seat belts, that kind of fell to the floor, which is now the ceiling. And then everybody was just like, get out, get out, get out. We could smell like jet fuel. And so thanks to the flight attendants

who were described as remaining professional throughout the whole ordeal, dozens of people literally crawled out of the wreckage onto the tarmac. Everything, drop it! Come on! Don't take your baby away, don't get blown away.

All on your way. Within the end, all 80 passengers and crew getting out with no reported fatalities. Though notably, at least 18 people suffered injuries, 15 of which were minor and three critical, but not life-threatening. Also, before you ask, no, this was not a Boeing plane. Right, it was actually a CRJ900 manufactured

by the Canadian company Bombardier, which is a plane that reportedly has a solid safety record. Though to be clear, right now we have no idea if this has anything to do with the plane itself, adverse weather conditions, or some other factor. Though there, you now have Canadian authorities investigating the crash with help from officials at the FAA. And so with all that, I kind of pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts not only about this situation, but air travel in general right now? If you have travel plans, are you like rethinking flying places right now?

Or no, you still are maybe of the mindset that air travel is still the safest way to travel. But then from that, we need to talk about how over the past few days, Donald Trump has been firing thousands of employees across the federal government with one, the mass terminations potentially violating the law in some cases.

And then two, beyond that, there are massive implications for everything from aviation safety to public health to the handling of the country's nuclear weapons. And with that, since it's been a big topic lately, let's start with the first one, aviation. Right, besides the Toronto crash landing yesterday, it's been just three weeks since that fatal mid-air collision between an army helicopter and a passenger jet over Washington, D.C. Right, a crash that reignited concerns about the safety of air travel in the United States in general,

but especially in connection to the country's nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers. Which is why you have a lot of people bringing it up in response to the Trump administration not hiring new staff, but instead firing hundreds of FAA employees. And with that, you have the president of the union representing 11,000 FAA and DOD employees saying in a statement that the probationary workers began receiving emails late Friday,

notifying them of their termination, with him claiming that the employees were fired, quote, without cause nor based on performance or conduct. Or with him also noting that the emails were from an exec order Microsoft email address, not a government email address. And as far as how many employees have been let go, well, after prompting from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, you had Sean Duffy responding late last night saying fewer than 400 FAA employees have been fired. With him also claiming there that zero air traffic controllers

and critical safety personnel were let go. But notably, with that, not everyone seems to be in agreement regarding who exactly qualifies as critical safety personnel. For you, the Guardian, for example, reporting that those terminated included maintenance mechanics, aeronautical information specialists, environmental protection specialists, aviation safety assistance,

and management administration personnel. With also a former FAA air traffic controller claiming that agency personnel who were terminated maintain every piece of equipment that keeps flying safe, from the radars to the instrument landing system to ATC automation." And so with that, the Associated Press reportedly reached out to the Department of Transportation about the firing of personnel hired for FAA radar, landing, and navigational aid maintenance.

Then a DOT official initially responded by claiming the agency retained employees who perform critical safety functions, but then they backtracked by saying that they would actually have to look into whether these workers were considered to handle critical safety functions. And then on top of that, other fired employees reportedly included those who were working on an early warning radar system for Hawaii to detect incoming cruise missiles. It's a program partly funded by the Department of Defense

and it's just one of the FAA's National Airspace System Defense Programs. So with that, you have one of the fired employees telling the AP that their work is about protecting national security and adding, "'I'm scared to death and the American public should be scared too. With them also saying,

I don't think they even knew what NDP does. They just thought, oh no, big deal. He just works for the FAA. And so then connected to all that, you have the National Air Traffic Controllers Association saying in a statement yesterday that it was analyzing the effect of reported federal employee terminations

on aviation safety, the national airspace system, and our members. And so we're gonna have to wait to see what they find and ultimately if and what kind of impact this all has on safety. But in the meantime, I will say that the current conversation around aviation safety, it goes beyond the firings. We're going back to that exchange between Sean Duffy

and Pete Buttigieg. You also had Duffy accusing his predecessor of failing to address the air traffic controller shortage and update the country's air traffic control system. With Duffy claiming in less than four weeks, we have already begun the process and are engaging the smartest minds in the entire world. And with that, I'll say, one, it's generally true that the Biden administration was unable to remedy the shortage or modernize the country's outdated air traffic control system.

But two, notably, of course, neither did the previous Trump administration. But these are issues that go back at least a decade, if not more, and it's also not exactly clear how the current Trump administration plans to deal with it either. But what we know so far has raised questions, and that's because whatever the plan is, it seems like the world's richest man will have a lot to say in the matter. Because earlier this month, you had Duffy saying that Elon Musk's Doge team would plug in to help upgrade our aviation system. And then just this weekend, you had him saying that employees from Elon Musk's company, SpaceX, they'd be visiting the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia to, quote, get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about their current tools, and envision how we can make a new, better,

modern, and safer system. But this notably, as you have some say, it's not clear what kind of expertise SpaceX, which is a company specializing in rocket launches, has in how the air traffic control system works. And in fact, Elon Musk, he has repeatedly clashed with the FAA in the past over its regulation of SpaceX,

calling on its previous leader to resign and threatening to sue the agency after it proposed fining the company. And this is, of course, many believe that Musk's had a hand in the mass firings, not only at the FAA, but across the entire federal government. I mean, for example, another one of the hardest hit agencies, the Department of Health and Human Services,

which includes the FDA, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health, to name a few. And with all of that, the thousands of employees that have been let go reportedly include not only scientists and researchers, but also administrators overseeing grant proposals, analysts figuring out new ways to cut healthcare costs,

and computer specialists trying to update government systems for tracking health information. With also a top FDA official actually resigning this week, citing the indiscriminate firing of 89 staff members from the agency's food program. And of course, in general, the loss of so many employees from the nation's health agencies has a lot of people worried about what it could mean

for everything from fighting disease to keeping food safe. Right, and there are similar worries about potential unseen consequences at other agencies as well. I mean, the Department of Energy, for example, they fired about 2000 employees, including workers at the Trump administration, apparently didn't realize were responsible

for managing the country's nuclear weapons. Right, specifically, we're talking about the Trump administration letting go of up to 350 employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration late Thursday, with some even reportedly losing access to their email before they had learned that they were fired, and they found out because they tried to enter their offices on Friday, but they were locked out. But then, the head of a group by the name of the Arms Control

Association commenting, the Doge people are coming in with absolutely no knowledge of what these departments are responsible for. They don't seem to realize that it's actually the Department of Nuclear Weapons more than it is the Department of Energy. Though there, they did eventually realize it, and by late Friday night, the agency's acting director issued a memo rescinding the firings for all but 28 of those hundreds of fired staff members. But one of the big problems there is that some of those fired employees, they couldn't be reached after they were fired. And that is somewhere reportedly reconsidering whether to actually return to work given the uncertainty created by Doge. And so now we're in this situation where the administration is reportedly scrambling to convince those that they can get in touch with that they should come back.

And in fact, they are reportedly not the only employees who were fired by mistake. Something that I will say is not all that surprising when you consider the scale of everything. We're only talking about a few of the affected agencies here, but this is everywhere. 400 at the Department of Homeland Security, 1,000 at the Department of Veteran Affairs,

and more than 3,000 people at the US Forest Service. Also soon, you're looking at potentially thousands of IRS employees smack dab in the middle of tax season. And overall, the Trump administration hasn't said how many workers have been fired. Though there, what we do know is that the government employed more than 200,000 probationary workers as of last year, and those probationary workers,

they're the ones being fired right now. Where they're generally, people who have been on the job less than a year. Though, I will say besides that, the purges have also swept up people with years of service who had recently been transferred between agencies. As well as us seeing military veterans and people with disabilities employed through a program

that sped through their hiring, but put them on two years probation getting hit. And with all that, as usual, we get to the question that we get to in most of the Trump stories, is this even legal? And as usual, the answer is maybe, possibly even probably not. Because while it's true that probationary employees

are generally easier to fire and they have fewer protections, it's not like they don't have any rights at all. And so to cover their bases, the termination letters that people are getting are all reportedly making the same claim. You're getting fired because of poor job performance. But there, notably according to the Washington Post,

many of those fired had just received positive reviews or had not worked in the government long enough to actually receive even a single rating. I mean, some employees even said that everything seemed rushed and there were a lot of errors. Like for example, the termination letters at education, they listed the wrong job or the wrong start date.

Also a legal help number offered in a notice sent to a small business administration employee led to a voicemail for an apartment building, not a lawyer. And some firing letters seemed copy pasted from the form and left out the name of the agency where employees work. And so with all that there, according to an attorney at a law firm specializing in litigation by federal employees, firing employees in mass with the same claim of poor performance is illegal. With a matting there, it to an attorney at a law firm specializing in litigation by federal employees, firing employees en masse

with the same claim of poor performance is illegal. With a matting there, it can't be true. They're clearly not articulating this on an individual basis, which is what makes it so suspect. However, a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management repeated something that the office has said before. The probationary period is a continuation of the job application process,

not an entitlement for permanent employment. So ultimately, we're gonna have to wait to see how all this plays out in court. But of course, the worry is right now is that in the meantime, a lot of damage is already being done. You know, as we talked about in that special Monday show yesterday,

one of the biggest fears from these purges, whether they are legal or not, it's not what's the worst that can happen in day-to-day maintenance, though, that is very obviously a concern. It's what happens when we come across any number of possible crises and we have agencies that are gutted. And

then we'll get to more news in just a moment. But you know, if you're hiring for your business, you want the best people for the job, those with the right skills, experience, and passion. But you know, we all know finding those amazing candidates, it takes time and effort. But today's sponsor, ZipRecruiter, has you covered. ZipRecruiter's technology excels at identifying the most qualified candidates for a wide range of roles. In fact, four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter find a quality candidate within the first day. And right now, you can try ZipRecruiter for free at ziprecruiter.com slash DeFranco. And as far as what makes ZipRecruiter so effective, their technology scans resumes to pinpoint candidates whose skills and experience perfectly match your job description. Meaning, you don't have to sit

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So try it for free using our exclusive link, ziprecruiter.com slash DeFranco. That'sipRecruiter.com slash DeFranco. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash DeFranco. ZipRecruiter, the smartest way to hire. FanDuel Casino's exclusive live dealer studio has your chance at the number one feeling, winning. Which beats even the 27th best feeling, saying I do. Who wants this last parachute? I do. Enjoy the number one feeling, winning, in an exciting live dealer studio, exclusively on FanDuel Casino. Where winning is undefeated. I do. It's truck month at GMC. Tackle the open road with added confidence in a 2025 Sierra 1500 Pro Graphite

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the Trump administration is pressuring the Romanian government to lift its travel restrictions on the Tate brothers. Right in this, as the brothers are facing charges in both the UK and Romania for human trafficking, sexual misconduct, money laundering, operating an organized crime group, and rape. You know, while the investigation in Romania, where they live, unfolds, they've been banned from leaving the country. But apparently, they saw a way out of their bind 5,000 miles away in Washington, D.C. Specifically, in Elon Musk, who said he's not wrong in response to a post claiming that Andrews' bid to become prime minister of the U.K. will transform British politics and create an army of men demanding change.

Because a couple of weeks ago, Tristan Tate seized on the alleged scandals the Doge team had supposedly exposed and wrote, I wonder if any USAID went to Romania to fund any particular lawfare-based investigations. And in response to that, a user claimed to have uncovered a State Department document outlining goals to improve the rule of law and strengthen judicial institutions in Romania. But then in response to that, Trump's special envoy, Richard Grenell, writing,

"'The USAID programs were weaponized against people "'and politicians who weren't woke. "'The Biden team spent US taxpayer money "'to support left-wing programs "'and candidates around the world.' And saying conservatives around the world were targeted, "'Romania is the latest example.'" And so last week, the Tate's case was reportedly brought up

by US officials on a phone call with the Romanian government. With then, the sources telling the Times that Grinnell revisited the issue with the Romanian foreign minister at a security conference in Munich. With that foreign minister then reportedly confirming to local media that the Tate's name had been brought up.

But you also had Grinnell downplaying the news, saying to the Times, "'You saw me in the hallway and asked for a meeting and claiming they had no substantive conversation.'" Though there, in case it wasn't clear, he also added, I support the Tate brothers as evident by my publicly available tweets. And so now you have the Tate brothers appearing to try to take advantage of the support from the White House with Andrew writing on X Monday. It was Biden who locked us up in the first place, USAID sponsored attack, and then posting. The USAID money that was being used to destroy our

influence online with baseless criminal trials has dried up. But for now, we're gonna have to wait to see how this plays out. Right, if having support from Musk and people in the administration, it helps the Tates get out of their legal trouble, or if Romania resists any pressure. Then next up, let's talk about Elon Musk not actually being the leader of Doge.

He's not even an employee of Doge at all. Right, that is apparently the official party line with the White House literally saying that itself in a new court file. Right, which is interesting because when Trump first announced Doge, he explicitly said that Musk would be leading the effort. You know, since Trump took office, it really seemed like that was a case. I mean, you always see Musk talking about Doge in a way that really makes it seem like he's

leading it. With Trump also doing the same. And I mean, just last week, the president featured Musk at a conference where he answered questions about the whole operation. But in federal court filings in a case against Musk and the Doge effort, a White House official explicitly said that he is not an employee of Doge in any capacity. Instead, claiming that Musk is actually an employee of the White House office, which is entirely separate from Doge. With that official specifically saying

that Musk is actually a quote, "'non-career special government employee who serves as a senior advisor to the president' and adding, "'Like other senior White House advisors, "'Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority "'to make government decisions. Right, so an absolutely massive shift from how basically the entire American public

has been viewing Musk's role here. But as far as who actually runs Doge, if it isn't Musk, that also remains unclear. The filing doesn't say who is in charge and the executive order that Trump signed establishing that Doge would replace the US Digital Service, that also did not clarify who the administrator is.

And this is the White House has also not been responding to reporters requests for comment about who is actually leading Doge. Now, even some lawyers for the administration don't seem to be able to answer that question. But I mean, after a hearing this Friday about Doge's access to sensitive Treasury Department payment systems and records,

reporters asked the Treasury Senior Counsel who leads Doge and he responded, quote, "'I don't know the answer to that.'" And so all of that would mean that the American public and even top administration officials have no idea who is running this whole operation that has been given sweeping powers and granted access to a ton of sensitive information.

Which also on the note of accessing information, there are several important updates we have to talk about. The first is that groups that advocate for unionized workers, taxpayers, and small businesses filed a lawsuit against the federal government yesterday to stop an attempt by Doge to access sensitive data maintained by the IRS. With this, coming after sources told reporters this weekend

that Doge was seeking broad access to tax agency systems, property and data sets. With this reportedly including the Integrated Data Retrieval System or IDRS, which is used for IRS employees to access IRS accounts that include sensitive information like personal identification numbers and bank information. You know, allowing Doge to access that information,

it would be major because as the Washington Post explains, IDRS access is extremely limited. Taxpayers who have had their information wrongfully disclosed or even inspected are entitled by law to monetary damages. With the maddening there that sources say that the request for Doge access has raised deep concerns within the IRS.

And so in their new lawsuit, the taxpayer and union groups claim that unless the court intervenes, Doge would be able to see information about taxpayers' net worth, income, bank accounts, charitable donations, and social security numbers. But I'm arguing that the data at issue here, it's highly protected, right? Political appointees don't usually get access to it, including even IRS commissioners. But of course, that's not the only sensitive information that Doge is attempting to access. We also got the

news yesterday that a federal district judge has refused to block Doge from obtaining sensitive student data from the Department of Education. And, because earlier this month, the University of California Student Association filed a lawsuit alleging that the department has been illegally sharing confidential student data with Doge in violation of federal privacy law. With the Post reporting that Doge has gained access to multiple databases that house personal information about students, including dates of birth, contact information, and social security numbers. But in his ruling, Judge Randolph Moss argued that potential harms to students were entirely conjectural. With him saying that the lawsuit provides no evidence

beyond sheer speculation that the education department or Doge would misuse or further disseminate this information. But during a hearing on Friday, Moss also openly expressed concerns about the scope of Doge's access to data and the secrecy its employees were operating under. Something he described as a unique lack of transparency. And very notably here,

when Moss pressed Trump administration lawyers about the identities and specific activities of the members of Doge, the attorneys were unable to answer. Them repeatedly responding at those very important details were uncertain and further indicating that even top officials don't know who is running these efforts or exactly what it is that they're doing.

Moss's ruling here, it just continues the uneven legal enforcement that we've seen in Doge's battle to access sensitive data, a battle that has also resulted in the resignation of multiple senior officials, which brings us to the final piece of news that I want to hit on here, which is that it's now being reported that the top official of the Social Security Administration has officially stepped down after a clash with Doge over its efforts to access sensitive personal data about millions of Americans. And according to multiple

sources, Michelle King, who worked at the agency for decades before becoming the acting commissioner last month, decided to step down abruptly after refusing to let Doge access private information. With the spokesperson for the White House seemingly confirming that King had left and saying that while the Senate continues the confirmation for a full-time commissioner, the SSA will be led by a career social security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner.

With sources telling the Post there that to fill the acting role, Trump has appointed a manager in charge of social security's anti-fraud office, who has posted positive remarks on social media about Doge's efforts to cut costs and search for fraud. Now, as far as Doge's efforts here currently, it's unclear exactly what information Doge was trying to access or if they had been successful. You've got Nancy Altman, the president of the group Social Security Works, explaining

that the agency has a whole trove of very personal data, saying, SSA has comprehensive medical records of people who have applied for disability benefits. It has our bank information, our earning records, the names and ages of our children, and much more. With them then going on to warn about the serious risks of Doge accessing this information and adding, there is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is. And then we'll get to more news in just a moment. But first, you know, every day, thousands of companies collect, trade, and sell your personal information without you knowing. We're talking your full name, email, home address, phone number. It's out there in the hands of data brokers. But you have rights. You can absolutely request companies to delete your personal data and

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And there's a lot, lot more. And where we should start is with late last week, it being revealed that President Zelensky had a tense closed door meeting with American officials. And during this meeting, reportedly the US tried to get a deal for 50% of Ukraine's mineral wealth. And in return, well, reportedly Ukraine wasn't getting a lot.

And the deal might actually be for even more, with one Ukrainian official being quoted as saying that the US actually wanted 50% of Ukraine's natural resources, so that would include oil and gas. And this, as European officials indicated, that it seemed like this deal was largely for the support the United States

had already given Ukraine. It's something that sounds like a reimbursement, essentially, and that characterization appears to be at least partially true true based on a statement by US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who said on Sunday, "'The American people deserve to be recouped, "'deserve to have some kind of payback

"'for the billions they have invested in this war.'" And saying, I think that Zelensky would be very wise to enter this agreement with the United States. Now with all that, Ukrainian officials have said, "'One benefit would be that some profits made "'from the venture would be reinvested "'into post-war reconstruction.'" But that wasn't enough, and Zelensky himself said he turned down the deal

because there weren't any security guarantees tied to the resources. By getting a guarantee, it is super important to Ukraine because they largely feel like they were already burned by the West once. Something that a lot of people forget is that after the Cold War, Ukraine had one of the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons,

but they agreed to give them back to Russia. And in return, the US, UK, and Russia all agreed to maintain and protect Ukraine's sovereignty. But that one, clearly hasn't happened. And two, on that note, things might be shifted. You see, when speaking to the Wall Street Journal last Thursday, Vice President J.D. Vance said

that the US had military tools of leverage it could use to pressure Russia. Then the outlet following up by asking if sending troops was a possibility, which led to Vance saying that everything is on the table. But then Vance backtracked on X the Next Day writing, "'President Trump is the ultimate deal maker and will bring peace to the region

by ending the war in Ukraine. As we've always said, American troops should never be put in harm's way where it doesn't advance American interests and security. This war is between Russia and Ukraine. But then also blasting the Wall Street Journal and claiming that they twisted his words to make it seem like he said

that troops in Ukraine were an option. Though there, they have what they say is the full transcript and he never says that troops weren't a possibility even when directly asked. So with that, I'm not sure how they twisted his words. Notably with the situation, the United States isn't the only one who could provide troops.

With the idea, it's prompted European countries to suggest they'd be willing to send troops to Ukraine with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying on Sunday that he was ready and willing to contribute to security guarantees to Ukraine by putting our own troops on the ground if necessary. With him then going on to add that securing a lasting peace in Ukraine

that safeguards its sovereignty for the long-term is essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression in the future. With Sweden also on board with sending troops to Ukraine, and you have many feeling like Western troops of some kind, they're gonna be needed for peace to happen as otherwise it would just be a way for Russia to prepare for another attempt.

And at the time with all that, Russia didn't just outright reject this idea, which is their normal reaction to any suggestion that involves NATO troops in Ukraine. You had the Kremlin spokesperson saying yesterday, it would mean that NATO forces would be deployed on Ukrainian territory. This means that this is a very complicated question.

And for now, no substantive discussions have been held about this matter. However, as of this morning that changed and Russia said that it would not accept any NATO troops in Ukraine. But you know, with all that, a very key aspect of this, one of the reasons Carmer even suggested British troops be sent to Ukraine

is because there is a very real fear in Europe that the United States is going to ditch them. And that's not coming out of nowhere. During a big conference in Munich this weekend, the United States made it clear that Europe's security, it's their problem, leading to a frenzy by European countries to make plans. That including beefing up defense spending

and their armed forces in order to counter Russia themselves. And as part of that, they are also working on a huge military aid package for Ukraine. Because the aid packages, it's not just sending money directly to Ukraine. Instead, it's in the form of boosting domestic production and sending that stuff to the war. But also in the long-term,

this increases how many weapons European companies can make. And another reason for Europe's sudden shift is because of how quickly the Trump administration is moving towards Russia. But it was just last week that the president had a long phone call with Putin.

And then yesterday, American and Russian officials were in Saudi Arabia to discuss a Ukrainian peace deal and other plans. Notably, those talks actually wrapping up this morning and seeming to be more of a first step, but it's almost a complete 180 from the past. Reportedly, the US and Russia are gonna be setting up teams to try and end the war as well as normalize relations

between the US and Russia. You've got Secretary of State Marco Rubio adding that the talks were also a chance to explore, quote, "'The incredible opportunities that exist "'to partner with the Russians.'" With the news that all of this was happening, forcing Zelensky to say yesterday, "'We cannot recognize any agreements made about us

"'without us.'" Because Ukraine wasn't there, they were not invited to the meeting about ending the war with Ukraine. With Rubio then responding with, "'There's going to be engagement and consultation "'with Ukraine, with our partners in Europe and others. But then also adding, but ultimately, the Russian side will be indispensable to this effort. Also, understand, even though these talks

are happening, that's not changing things on the ground, right? While there are talks of possible peace, Russia's not letting up the gas within Ukraine. In fact, Ukraine's air force said that it was attacked by 176 drones overnight, which is just under the 188 record from November, with them reportedly managing to shoot down about 103 and 67 were stopped by other6 drones overnight, which is just under the 188 record from November, with them reportedly managing to shoot down about 103, and 67 were stopped by other measures. However, high-rise buildings were still hit, falling debris caused fires, and there were reported injuries,

though luckily it doesn't seem like there were any deaths, though. And on the ground, things continue to be rough for Ukraine, which has fought to try and stop Russian advances in the east, although with spring approaching, it's likely that those advances will stop as everything turns to mud. So obviously, there are a number of moving parts here.

We're going to be keeping an eye on this, but we will very likely see some big shifts in the coming months. But that, my friends, is the end of your Monday evening, Tuesday morning dive into the news. And of course, remember, I've got a brand new show for you every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Pacific. Thank you for watching. I love your faces, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.