EPISODE 154: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN

A-Block (1:41) SPECIAL COMMENT: DeSantis dismissed Ukraine as not being one of our "vital national interests" and exactly six hours later a Russian fighter jet was knocking one of our intelligence drones out of international air space 75 miles off the Ukrainian coach. DeFascist looks like an idiot today, especially since Republican grown-ups pounded the crap out of him all day, and even more so because as a Congressman, the Rube-In-High-Heels demanded offensive and defensive weapons be sent TO Ukraine.

It's not just the standard story of a local yokel stepping onto the Republican national stage and promptly plummeting into the orchestra bit. DeSantis's flip-flop underscores the Republicans' century-long inability to make up its mind about any of the various incarnations of Russia. The America First DeSantii of 1939 wanted to ignore Russia even after its pact with Hitler. The post-war Republicans turned the actual Soviet threat into spies inside every home fallout shelter. Then Nixon went for detente. Then Reagan joked about beginning the bombing of Russia in five minutes. Then Reagan both destroyed the Soviet Union and 'brought peace.' Then Trump sold the GOP to Putin. Now DeSantis doesn't know which side of which is the Wokey-Fenokee Swamp.

Meanwhile after a day of utter silence, Russia's second-favorite American Tucker Carlson actually mentioned Jacob Chansley, the Q Shaman. One mention. Literally. No explanation what happened to his wall-to-wall-coverage of the worst attack on American freedom unwoke non-CRT conspiracy. And coincidence or maybe more: heard anything from ANY Republican besides Gosar about it? Or about this "visit" to the January 6 defendants inside the DC Jail? They've gone silent too. But a DC judge hasn't: he says not only aren't the J6'ers NOT being mistreated, all their complaints have been addressed by the jailers AND they all have access to tablets to review...guess what...January 6th video for their defense. Something's up and it isn't Fox's ratings.

B-Block (16:19) POSTSCRIPTS TO THE NEWS: Biden again notes that caving to Freedom Caucus demands to freeze spending at 2022 levels as their price to vote for a debt ceiling hike means...De-funding the police. Ohhhhhh are the Republicans pissed. Trump's indictment is days away and always will be. And he championed Veterinary Ivermectin for 11 years. Right up to the day it killed him. (20:40) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Brian Kilmeade calls Trump "the most disciplined I've ever seen him" because he hasn't dined with any white supremacists lately. The NHL televises a New York Rangers game live in cartoon without calling them the New York POWER Rangers. And a Minnesota state senator says there's no need for free school breakfasts or lunches because HE'S never met a hungry person.

C-Block (26:30) EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY: Hopper, in Missouri (27:15) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: Dan Abrams of "News Nation" humiliated himself on his show on the Nick-At-Nite of TV News networks. Which reminded me of the day in 2006 the geniuses at NBC decided to make him General Manager of MSNBC. He was so bad so fast that ONE WEEK LATER they took all the power away from him. It's a long laugh.

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