State of The Union Forecasts, Turkish Quake Fallout, Abortion Pills

The themes of this year’s State of the Union address are revealed, and House Republicans turn their sights on Al Jazeera.

International affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda joins Misfits hosts Michelle Witte and John Kiriakou to discuss reports that a ceasefire might have been possible in Ukraine a year ago, what changes in Kiev’s military leadership mean, the surprising resilience of Russia’s economy contrasted with the contraction of Germany’s, and NORAD’s response to the Chinese balloon debacle.

Austin-based independent journalist Brianna Griffith discusses a lawsuit that aims to undo the FDA’s approval of some abortion medication, how this lawsuit illustrates the pattern of challenging abortion as unsafe, and how Texas courts give life to otherwise fringe lawsuits like this.

Progressive activist and journalist Arn Menconi discusses how Joe Biden will convince Americans of his accomplishments in his State of the Union speech, the historical usage of SOTU guests as political props, whether Biden is still likely to run for reelection amid a weak bench for Democrats, the House’s vote to condemn socialism and why so many Democrats voted in the affirmative, and whether the GOP will go after social security.

The Misfits also discuss how Western sanctions on Syria have affected the relief efforts after devastating earthquakes in the region, Marines charged in the January 6 riot getting intelligence jobs, and the House ethics probe into George Santos.

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