Just One Thing:
It remains utterly incredible how massive the failure of the Russian military has been to conquer Ukraine. I was wrong. Everybody was wrong. Most importantly Putin was wrong. Will this now be a war of attrition? If so, who will run out of willpower and supplies first? The Russians are still earning plenty of money from oil and gas with China and India still buying from them. Can they get all the materials they need to make more weapons? Probably yes with the possible exception of some computer chips. Can Russia prevent resupply of Ukrainian fighters? Probably not, though they may try. At this point, the Chinese still seem to have no interest in interfering with anything Putin does and I think that will persist unless Putin uses chemical (or nuclear) weapons. As Putin gets more desperate you'd have to think that the use of such a weapon becomes more likely. I still think it's unlikely...but more likely it should be.
Today's Guests
Bjorn Lomborg is the founder of the Copenhagen Consensus and arguably the single most influential rational voice in the discussion of climate change policy. The story of his introduction to the issue -- as someone who believed the "climate catastrophe" propaganda that he had heard continuously for years but whose own research told him something different -- makes him particularly credible, as does the fact that he's not a political conservative. I've tried for years to get Bjorn on my show. It's finally happening! Here's Bjorn's excellent and important recent book: False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet” Immediately below, see Bjorn's remarks at the recent Steamboat Institute Energy Summit
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Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi hosts the popular Investigation Discovery series "True Conviction". We'll talk about the new season (which airs Tuesday nights at 8 PM). Anna-Sigga is a former prosecutor in the Brooklyn DA’s office who prosecuted 35 homicides. She hosts the weekly true-crime podcast, “Anatomy of Murder.” For the past six years, Anna-Sigga has served on the faculty of Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Program. More about Anna-Sigga here: Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi | Host of True Conviction & Anatomy of Murder| (annasigganicolazzi.com)
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For many years Ilya Shapiro was the vice president and director of the Center for Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute. We'll talk about this week's confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Jackson Brown. What should senators ask? What will they ask that is really a waste of time? Does any of this theater matter? Ilya has written a piece for Newsweek on these questions: What Republicans Should Ask Ketanji Brown Jackson Next Week | Opinion (newsweek.com) Follow Ilya on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ishapiro
Other Stuff
Push toward permanent Daylight Saving Time moving slowly, if at all, in the House
This despite strangely unanimous support in the Senate: Daylight saving change faces trouble in House | TheHill
If you were ever going to spend/waste money on Fortnite, this would be a good time to do so:
Fortnite donating all proceeds raised for the next two weeks to relief efforts in Ukraine - Gamepur
A fourth state now allows firing squad for executions; did you know there were still/already three?
Firing-squad executions get green light in South Carolina | Fox News
This is going to hurt Russia but not right away
Oil Giants Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes Suspend Russia Operations (businessinsider.com)
I love the entrepreneurial spirit
23-year-old Texans made $4 million mining bitcoin off flared natural gas (cnbc.com)
I mean, good for them, but isn't this place overrated?
In-N-Out Burger opens in Castle Rock (denverpost.com)
(Deep)fake videos from Ukraine...we can't even trust our own eyes and ears anymore
Deepfake Zelenskyy surrender video is the 'first intentionally used' in Ukraine war | Euronews
Also: There are a bunch of fake social media accounts claiming to be of the woman TV producer who bravely interrupted a Russian news broadcast; some of these accounts are raising money which they claim will go to benefit victims of the Russian invasion, but they’re almost certainly just scams. And a video that’s making the rounds as Pres Zelensky singing a duet with his wife is just a video of some other dude singing with a woman. The other dude looks a little like Zelensky.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/video/no-ukraines-president-zelensky-did-200824271.html
Today's Videos...are FAKE
First, a deepfake video made with artificial intelligence that looks like Ukrainian President Zelenskyy saying he's fleeing the country and telling his people to surrender. More here: Deepfake Zelenskyy surrender video is the 'first intentionally used' in Ukraine war | Euronews
Also: There are a bunch of fake social media accounts claiming to be of the woman TV producer who bravely interrupted a Russian news broadcast; some of these accounts are raising money which they claim will go to benefit victims of the Russian invasion, but they’re almost certainly just scams. And a video that’s making the rounds as Pres Zelensky singing a duet with his wife is just a video of some other dude singing with a woman. The other dude looks a little like Zelensky.
Second: This video itself isn't fake; it is a man and woman singing a duet. But it is NOT President Zelensky and his wife. It's just a gal singing with a dude who looks a little like Zelensky.