global alliances

Former President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO allies that don’t pay their bills. We’ll discuss why Trump’s willingness to ignore our treaty obligations hurts Americans’ freedom and standard of living. Plus, why robots aren’t coming for our jobs anytime soon. And, we’ll make you smart on why cats get stuck in trees!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Trump told S.C. rally that he supports Russian aggression against NATO allies” from NPR

• • “Wealth disparities by race grew during the pandemic, despite income gains, report shows” from The Associated Press

• • “Robot invasion hit a bump in 2023 as North American economy cooled” from Reuters

• • “Yes, cats do get stuck in trees. This climber rescues them for free.” from The Washington Post

• • Travis Kelce yelling at coach becomes Super Bowl meme from Scott Lincicome on X

We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

(0:00) Bestie intros! Pasty Preppers

(4:17) 2024's Biggest Political Winner

(13:37) 2024's Biggest Political Loser

(19:41) 2024's Biggest Business Winner

(32:08) 2024's Biggest Business Loser

(37:31) 2024's Biggest Business Deal

(41:15) 2024's Most Contrarian Belief

(51:18) 2024's Best-Performing Asset

(56:46) 2024's Worst-Performing Asset

(1:06:14) 2024's Most Anticipated Trend

(1:12:28) 2024's Most Anticipated Media

(1:22:28) Emotional condition heading into 2024

Follow the besties:

https://twitter.com/chamath

https://twitter.com/Jason

https://twitter.com/DavidSacks

https://twitter.com/friedberg

Follow the pod:

https://twitter.com/theallinpod

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Intro Music Credit:

https://rb.gy/tppkzl

https://twitter.com/yung_spielburg

Intro Video Credit:

https://twitter.com/TheZachEffect

Referenced in the show:

https://lmc.icds.ee/lennart-meri-lecture-by-fiona-hill

https://news.gallup.com/poll/512135/support-third-political-party.aspx

https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-president-election-utah-ballot-863513ec2bf75d1efc9b202cb8ddcc4a

https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabia-considers-accepting-yuan-instead-of-dollars-for-chinese-oil-sales-11647351541

https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/08/10/us-saudi-arabia-sell-oil-dollars-chinese-yuan

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/putin-talk-oil-uae-saudi-meet-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-2023-12-06

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=853724306532726

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/07/californias-budget-deficit-balloons-to-68b-00130624

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/28/in-grips-of-war-ukraine-faces-gloomy-demographic-future

https://razumkov.org.ua/en/articles/pension-system-can-ukrainian-pensions-be-saved

https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-20/Middle-East/Israel-won-t-be-able-to-eliminate-Hamas-US-spokesperson-33415

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2023/08/30/us-natural-gas-production-sets-new-record-high

https://www.anduril.com/roadrunner

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/19/missile-drone-pentagon-houthi-attacks-iran-00132480

https://twitter.com/CeciliaZin/status/1740109465918328844

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/business/china-car-exports.html

https://img.caixin.com//2023-04-14/168147450347265.jpg

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/21/china/china-russia-relations-record-trade-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-category-line-chart.htm

https://thehill.com/opinion/4383282-turkey-is-a-us-ally-but-should-not-be-a-trusted-one

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/12/06/turkey-nato-membership-alliance-russia-erdogan-sweden-syria

https://apnews.com/article/nato-sweden-turkey-erdogan-stoltenberg-639d70add38ec481253729b0e451f4ea

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/27/biden-endgame-ukraine-00133211

https://www.google.com/finance/quote/URA:NYSEARCA

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/12/28/the-west-may-now-have-no-option-but-to-attack-iran

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9218128

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13016388

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11198330

https://www.amazon.com/Founders-Paypal-Entrepreneurs-Shaped-Silicon/dp/1501197266

In today’s episode, Sharon talks with one of listeners’ most-requested guests, Senator Mitt Romney. A current Senator of Utah, Romney has a long history of public service, and chats candidly with Sharon about his unique personal history with business and politics, as well as advice his father gave him when he was young. Senator Romney also shares some insight into how Senate members are placed on committees, his interest and work in foreign diplomacy, and what he feels U.S. citizens can do to protect and uphold the democracy of our country.

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