The State of the Union, Supreme Court nomination, and more: 5 news podcast episodes from this week’s headlines

While much of the news continues to be dominated with the war between Ukraine and Russia, much has been happening in the headlines. Firstly, Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court last Friday. Major League Baseball has cancelled its Opening Day, and Biden gave his first State of the Union address Tuesday night.

And, of course, the West has imposed severe sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. For Russia-Ukraine war specific news podcasts, these shows are continuously updating us. Hear more about United States Congress happenings, Ukraine’s refugee crisis, and more with these podcast episodes from this week’s headlines.

Morning Announcements

This episode of “Morning Announcements” unpacks President Biden’s first State of the Union address from Tuesday. Also hear about new happenings in Congress with the Senate blocking voting on a bill called the Women’s Health Protection Act. Plus, the House of Representatives voted for the Emmett Till Antilynching Act and Beto O’Rourke won the Democratic nomination for governor in Texas primary election.

Start Here

In an episode from Monday, “Start Here” discusses the anticipated refugee crisis that has begun in Ukraine as civilians flee to the Polish border and other neighboring countries. Also, the CDC has issued new guidance on masks, meaning nearly 3/4 of Americans will experience the flipping of mandates. Plus, President Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court on Friday. Now, she prepares for Senate confirmation hearings.

Talkin’ Baseball

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the cancellation of Opening Day over the MLB labor dispute between the league and MLB Player’s Union. Manfred cancelled the first two series of each team’s schedule, a total of 91 games. After a whopping 13 negotiation sessions on Monday, players rejected the MLB’s “final offer,” forcing the MLB to follow through on their threat of canceling early games. Hear all about it and everyone’s frustrations with the league on this episode of “Talkin’ Baseball.”

The Economist Podcasts

From “The Economist Podcasts,” “Money Talks” talks about the unprecedented sanctions the West imposed on Russia after their invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions effectively freeze the reserve assets of the country. With the chaos it caused, Putin essentially threatened nuclear warfare, putting Russia’s deterrence forces on high alert, including its nuclear arms. Is Russia’s next move cutting off oil and gas supplies to the West? “Money Talks” discusses.

Bloomberg Law

On Friday, February 25, President Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to take the seat being vacated by Justice Stephen Breyer. If confirmed, “Bloomberg Law” tells us, not only will she be the first Black woman justice on the Supreme Court but also the first public defender and Civil Rights lawyer in the Court. Her nomination would not change the political makeup of the the Supreme Court though. It will remain 6 conservative justices and 3 liberal justices. “Bloomberg Law” tells us more about Jackson and her historic nomination.