EP:9 - Ukraine Chessboard: The Art of Losing Slowly, w/ Guest: Comic Dave Smith

Provoked with Darryl Cooper and Scott Horton

Scott Horton

News, History, Politics

4.7 • 567 Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2025

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Darryl is traveling this week. So Scott invited a good friend of both to join the show! ENJOY! Producer Chris Leonard did a lot censoring to keep YT happy! :) The war in Ukraine grinds on with no end in sight as peace negotiations repeatedly fail due to poison pills disguised as compromise. Scott Horton and GUEST host - Comic Dave Smith dissect the recent talks in Alaska, where "security guarantees" for Ukraine functioned as NATO membership by another name—a non-starter for Russia and likely designed to be rejected. Russia continues making steady territorial gains, now controlling approximately three-quarters of Donetsk and two-thirds of both Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. This slow-motion advance strengthens Putin's negotiating position while depleting Ukrainian resources. The fundamental misunderstanding of the conflict's origins—demonstrated even by Donald Trump's belief that "Obama gave Ukraine to Putin" rather than recognizing NATO expansion as the core issue—makes meaningful resolution nearly impossible. Perhaps most concerning is the rising influence of Ukraine's far-right nationalist elements, particularly the Azov Battalion. What began as a volunteer militia in 2014 has evolved into an official military unit with explicit neo-Nazi connections. Recent reporting reveals Azov leader Andrei Beletsky is positioning himself for political power in post-war Ukraine, envisioning a militarized state modeled after Israel. Western defense contractors reportedly prefer working with Azov units because they operate outside normal Ukrainian military command structures without demanding kickbacks. The conversation shifts to examining how Israel's campaign in Gaza has fundamentally altered media dynamics in the United States. Prominent right-wing commentators like Megyn Kelly and Charlie Kirk find themselves caught between establishment pressure to maintain unwavering support for Israel and audiences increasingly troubled by civilian casualties. This represents a significant crack in what was once the most controlled topic in American political discourse, potentially reshaping foreign policy debates for years to come. Chapters: ⁠0:00⁠ Welcome to Provoked ⁠2:11⁠ Ukraine Peace Talks in Alaska ⁠13:43⁠ Russia's Territorial Gains ⁠24:40⁠ Understanding Ukrainian Nazism ⁠43:17⁠ The Human Cost of War ⁠55:07⁠ Israel's Gaza Campaign and Media Shifts ⁠1:07:31⁠ Shifting Tides in Political Commentary (Cleaned up w/ the Podsworth app and re-released November 20, 2025. ⁠https://podsworth.com⁠) 👉 Subscribe for more honest, unfiltered conversations that push past the noise. 🔹 No safe spaces. 🔹 No corporate filters. 🔹 Just raw, informed, and fearless conversation. Provoked show website: ⁠https://provoked.show⁠ Darryl's links: X: ⁠@martyrmade⁠ ⁠https://subscribe.martyrmade.com⁠ Scott's links: X: ⁠@scotthortonshow⁠ ⁠https://scotthortonacademy.com⁠ ⁠https://libertarianinstitute.org⁠ ⁠https://antiwar.com⁠ ⁠https://scotthorton.org⁠ ⁠https://scotthorton.org/books⁠ ⁠https://www.scotthortonshow.com⁠ 🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 ⁠https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4904399580430336 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Jamie Lang and Sophie Haboo have arrived on Disney Plus.
0:04.5	We're having a baby.
0:05.5	We're having a baby.
0:07.2	I've always wanted to be mom.
0:09.4	And we're bringing you on our journey through everything.
0:12.4	I have no idea what we're doing.
0:13.6	Thank you. I have more of an idea.
0:15.6	I think of it like a Tamagocchi.
0:17.8	At the end of all of this...
0:20.0	We're going to have a little baby.
0:21.8	Raising Chelsea, a Hulu original series streaming exclusively on Disney Plus.
0:27.3	18 plus subscription required T's and T supply. The
0:40.3	The Welcome to Provoked.
1:02.1	I'm Scott Horton from the Libertarian Institute,
1:04.4	and filling in for Daryl Cooper tonight.
1:06.8	This is Dave Smith.
1:07.5	Hey, Dave.
1:08.0	What's going on, dude?
1:09.0	Thank you for having me.
1:10.2	It's cool to be on what has become my favorite new show. Thank you very much. Well, two bad Daryl's out this episode, but it's good to be here with you. That's right. He has other obligations. And featuring tonight, Ruby, and see her nose at the bottom of the screen there. Hopefully she won't be breathing heavily into the mic too badly this evening.
1:29.5	But it's better than whimpering out in the hallway.
1:31.6	So she's in the way.
	...

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