“The Issue Is”: Ukraine, SCOTUS, the Super Bowl, the Oscars, and taking on the haters

LOS ANGELES - In Washington, this past week was dominated by debates over Ukraine and nominations to the Supreme Court. On the West Coast, Los Angeles was gearing up for Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium and nominations for the 94th Academy Awards.

To break it all down, and then some, Elex Michaelson is joined on "The Issue Is" by longtime California Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D) and ESPN Radio host Steve Mason.

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THE ISSUE IS: U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN EUROPE AS TENSIONS RISE OVER UKRAINE

REP. LEE’S CENTRAL TAKE: "I was in Ukraine in 2019 and I saw how complex this was and the Russian aggression even then was very real, and so we have to let the State Department, and let the Biden administration, do what they're doing - they have mounted a very, very robust diplomatic initiative - because there's no military solution. So let them do their job, let the diplomats do their job...

"I'm concerned about the insertion of so many of our troops and military hardware, even though the President has said over and over again that we're not going to send combat troops, I believe him, but any kind of a mistake could be made, anything can take place with our troops there, and so I am very careful about the insertion of troops into hostilities, even though we are not committing them to combat. Finally, let me just say it's important that if this administration decides to change the mission to a combat mission or to a mission where our young men and women are going to be in a war, then they have to come to Congress. We cannot allow another war to take place with our troops, without the authorization to use force…Also, we have to understand that the buildup of the military might on the border in surrounding countries really can exacerbate what's taking place and undermine our diplomatic initiatives, and so I'm worried that this could derail a possible diplomatic solution…"

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THE ISSUE IS: BIDEN’S PLEDGE TO NAME A BLACK WOMAN TO THE SUPREME COURT

REP. LEE’S CENTRAL TAKE: "It's so exciting, it should be really exciting for the country, because all of this, all these years, they've never had the brilliance and the lens of a Black woman on the Supreme Court... I mean, can you imagine what we'd lost without having a Black woman there? So I commend the President, the nominees of the names that I've heard all have the judicial temperament, they have the background, they have the experience and they have what it takes to be a Supreme Court judge, and so I'm just really excited about it. I'm sorry that the right wing has tried to continue to diminish who we are as Black women by throwing out a bunch of crap, but you know, as Dr. Maya Angelou said, 'and still we rise.' So I'm very excited about this day, but I hope the country is, because I hope everyone understands the moment and how devoid it's been without having a Black woman on the Supreme Court…"

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THE ISSUE IS: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER AND DEALING WITH DETRACTORS

REP. LEE’S CENTRAL TAKE: "Always be on the right side of history. Follow what you know is right. Follow your conscience. Be yourself and persist. It's going to be really hard... As a Black woman, I hope this film really showed how hard it's been. You have to keep going. You have to keep moving to make life better. You can't be afraid. You got to take risks, you've got to be careful, of course, in this day and time, but Black people have always had to be careful, you know, you keep your antennas up all the time if you're an African-American…"

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THE ISSUE IS: SUPER BOWL LVI COMING TO LOS ANGELES

MASON’S CENTRAL TAKE: "[L.A.] Went a long time without an NFL team, and a lot of people pointed out the crowd composition at the NFC Championship game and the number of Niners fans.... You know, this is a generational change for Los Angeles, and for California, it's a generational change because this team really just got here six years ago and they are beginning to build real momentum. Los Angeles loves stars, people like LeBron James and Mookie Betts for the Dodgers. We've got Von Miller and we've got Matthew Stafford and we've got Cooper Kupp and we've got Leonard Floyd and, of course, Aaron Donald - I mean, we've got stars and now we've got the opportunity to win a championship and bring an NFL Championship, a Lombardi Trophy, to Los Angeles. I can't imagine the number of little kids who will watch this game this week see the Rams win, I’m hoping, and become Rams fans for the long haul…"

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THE ISSUE IS: FIXING THE ACADEMY AWARDS

MASON’S CENTRAL TAKE: "It's really become sort of an industry-only event. Now they've expanded to 10 Best Picture nominees, if you look at that 10, the way they will come out, probably combined, they did $30 million gross at the box office. The one way that the Oscars can save it show, its broadcast, is by nominating "Spider-Man: No Way Home." It is a completely legitimate nomination. It's a great film, it's smart, it's well-written, it's beautifully crafted, it's done $1.6 billion worldwide and 700 million in the U.S. People will have a rooting interest, and Tom Holland, who plays Spider-Man, has expressed interest in being the host of the Oscars, again, that younger audience, that buzz, that sizzle that you would get from Tom Holland being the Oscar host. So those are my couple of ideas on how to fix a show that's been broken for a few years…"

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The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson is California's only statewide political show. For showtimes and more information, go to TheIssueIsShow.com.

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