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NATO at War Risk Grows in Ukraine

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in the midterms, and said ending the Iran war will be a top Democratic priority.

British Lt Gen Tom Bateman commands Multinational Force Ukraine from a headquarters outside Paris. Russia has called Western troops in Ukraine "legitimate combat targets," and thousands of European troops are rehearsing a deployment in Poland this month. This is a partisan/opinion social post; no single factual claim here is worth checking. Opinion/rant; no specific factual claim to verify. Commentary pointing to a linked article; no separate factual claim to check. Opinion about blocking a Russian national hockey organization and whether Russia should play; no factual claim worth checking for the show.

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British Lt Gen Tom Bateman commands Multinational Force Ukraine from a headquarters outside Paris. Russia has called Western troops in Ukraine "legitimate combat targets," and thousands of European troops are rehearsing a deployment in Poland this month. This is a partisan/opinion social post; no single factual claim here is worth checking. Opinion/rant; no specific factual claim to verify. Commentary pointing to a linked article; no separate factual claim to check. Opinion about blocking a Russian national hockey organization and whether Russia should play; no factual claim worth checking for the show.

New video! If Russia Attacks European Troops in Ukraine, Is NATO at War? A British general already commands the European force that would deploy to Ukraine after a ceasefire, and Russia has already called its soldiers legitimate targets. Lieutenant General Tom Bateman leads https

Original post · Wes O'Donnell (@WesODonnell01)

[reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-says-foreign-troops-ukraine-would-be-targets-after-uk-france-pledge-post-2026-01-08/) and [warhappens.org](ht

Sources

What the hosts said

BOn this side of the Atlantic, the new House Democratic leader just made his opening move.
BReuters posted it a minute ago. Hakeem Jeffries spoke after the Democrats won both chambers. His top priority? Ending the Iran war.
BThey've been saying that for months. Now they actually have the votes to do something about it.
B'Top priority' is easy. The hard part is how you end a war without handing Tehran a propaganda victory or leaving American allies exposed.
BMaybe the voters already decided. They sent a very clear message on Tuesday: they're tired of this war.
BTired of it doesn't mean they voted for chaos. If Democrats cut funding while American troops are still deployed, that's a different kind of disaster.
BSo what's the responsible position? Keep funding a war nobody wants, because the alternative is messy?
BThe responsible position is to have a plan. So far, I've heard 'end the war' and not much else.
BAnd Jeffries said this after his party won both chambers. So he's got the gavel, but also the responsibility.
BRight. And the first test will be the next funding bill. If they attach conditions, they own the consequences.
BConditions like what? A timeline for withdrawal? Congressional oversight?
BExactly the kind of things that sound great in a press conference and get very complicated in the Situation Room.
BAnd from geopolitical tripwires to an ice rink: Russia's hockey team is still on the outside looking in.
BMark Relph on X says the Russian hockey association is blocked, and he's fine with it. His exact words: 'Russia should absolutely NOT play.'
BThe International Ice Hockey Federation has kept Russia out since the invasion. The question now is whether they'll be allowed back for the next Olympics.
BI can see both sides. The federation is an arm of the state, but the players are kids who just happened to be born there.
BThat's the dilemma in every sport right now. You punish the institution, you also punish individuals who didn't invade anyone.
BAnd yet, letting the Russian flag skate back in before the war ends sends its own message.
BMessage received. The ice is still frozen for Moscow.
BWell, not all ice. But the international game is, and that's probably not changing this season.
BThe players' argument is real. A lot of them have spoken out against the war, and they've been punished for it at home.
BAnd some haven't. You want to vet every athlete's politics before they can play?
BNo, but that's why the federation ban is cleaner. You ban the team, not the individual.
BBut the team is made of individuals. That's the whole paradox.

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