Day: November 10, 2022

Background Briefing: November 10, 2022

 

How Europe is Adapting to a Cutoff of Russian Energy and Moving Towards a Green Energy Future

We begin with President Biden’s remarks in a press conference yesterday in which he questioned the coincidence that the Russian withdrawal from Kherson happened after the US election results did not go the way Putin and his propagandists were counting on as they too expected the “Red Wave.” Joining us from Finland for a European reaction to the likelihood that Republican plans to cut aid to Ukraine will be shelved because of the GOP’s tenuous hold on the House is Alexander Stubb, a Professor and Director of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute. From 2008-2016, he served as Prime Minister of Finland and also Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Trade and Europe Minister. He also served as a Member of the European Parliament, the Chairman of the Finnish National Coalition Party and Vice President of the European Investment Bank and we discuss how Europe is adapting to the cutoff of Russian energy and moving towards a green energy future.

 

Cliffhanger Races in Arizona and Nevada and California Congressional Races Will Determine Who Controls the Senate and House

Then we examine the cliffhanger races in Arizona and Nevada that could determine who controls the US Senate as well as the congressional races in California that could determine who controls the House. Joining us is Sasha Abramsky, who writes regularly for The Nation and is the author of several books, including Inside Obama’s Brain, Breadline USA, American Furies, The American Way of Poverty, and, most recently, Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World’s First Female Sports Superstar. We discuss his latest article at The Nation, “Republicans Are Big Losers, but They May Still Be a Threat.”

 

Apart From the Absence of the “Red Wave”, the Other Big Election Story is Court-Sanctioned GOP Gerrymandering

Then finally we address the other big story to emerge from the midterm elections other than the absence of the “Red Wave” and that is how brazen Republican gerrymandering is the main reason the GOP will probably take the House. Joining us is David Daley, a senior fellow for FairVote and the author of Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America’s Democracy, which helped spark a drive to reform gerrymandering. Dave’s second book, Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy, chronicles the victories and defeats in state efforts to reform elections and uphold voting rights. A digital media fellow at the Wilson Center for the Humanities, he is the former editor-in-chief of Salon.com, and the former CEO and publisher of the Connecticut News Project. We will discuss his article at The Nation, “The GOP’s Bid to Claim a Rigged House Majority: Voters repudiated the GOP congressional agenda. Court-sanctioned gerrymanders made sure it didn’t matter.”