Rachel Maddow

For our country, this might be a really good time to have a robust, competent national security apparatus thinking about those kinds of implications and making smart, well-informed strategic decisions about how to react to them. Wouldn't it be awesome if that's what we had here in our own country? Joining us now is Nicole Wallace.

For our country, this might be a really good time to have a robust, competent national security apparatus thinking about those kinds of implications and making smart, well-informed strategic decisions about how to react to them. Wouldn't it be awesome if that's what we had here in our own country? Joining us now is Nicole Wallace.

Before becoming my beloved colleague here at MSNBC, Nicole, of course, was White House communications director. She knows how this kind of crisis should be handled, at least from a communications perspective. She also has a brand new podcast.

Before becoming my beloved colleague here at MSNBC, Nicole, of course, was White House communications director. She knows how this kind of crisis should be handled, at least from a communications perspective. She also has a brand new podcast.

It's called The Best People, where Nicole interviews some of the top minds and thinkers in the country about how to handle this moment we're living through right now. She also talked to me on the podcast for some reason. I'm not sure how I snuck in. The podcast just launched today. It's already number one on Apple Podcasts. Nicole, my friend, congratulations. And thanks for being here.

It's called The Best People, where Nicole interviews some of the top minds and thinkers in the country about how to handle this moment we're living through right now. She also talked to me on the podcast for some reason. I'm not sure how I snuck in. The podcast just launched today. It's already number one on Apple Podcasts. Nicole, my friend, congratulations. And thanks for being here.

I know this is a really busy day for you.

I know this is a really busy day for you.

I will say Mike sort of won most improved award. Remember when he first started doing remote shots, doing COVID, it always looked like he was being held hostage. You know what I mean? Like he really managed the like, I'm here against my will thing. And gradually I think you kind of dressed him up and gave him some stuff that made it look like he didn't need rescuing.

I will say Mike sort of won most improved award. Remember when he first started doing remote shots, doing COVID, it always looked like he was being held hostage. You know what I mean? Like he really managed the like, I'm here against my will thing. And gradually I think you kind of dressed him up and gave him some stuff that made it look like he didn't need rescuing.

Nicole, I wanted to talk to you about this Ukraine Jones story, just because, I mean, I feel like you're one of my friends who understands how my brain works on this sort of thing. I think your brain works in sort of the same ways. Like, it is an incredible war story about Ukraine's capability and their resilience and their...

Nicole, I wanted to talk to you about this Ukraine Jones story, just because, I mean, I feel like you're one of my friends who understands how my brain works on this sort of thing. I think your brain works in sort of the same ways. Like, it is an incredible war story about Ukraine's capability and their resilience and their...

creativity and the way they have just done this, you know, like David versus Goliath. They've accomplished things that nobody thought they could. But it also does have international strategic implications for every country in the world that's kind of in Russia's position in terms of thinking about its own defenses, thinking about its own nuclear deterrence.

creativity and the way they have just done this, you know, like David versus Goliath. They've accomplished things that nobody thought they could. But it also does have international strategic implications for every country in the world that's kind of in Russia's position in terms of thinking about its own defenses, thinking about its own nuclear deterrence.

I wondered what your reaction was when you learned about that story this weekend.

I wondered what your reaction was when you learned about that story this weekend.

Yeah. And, you know, it's interesting.

Yeah. And, you know, it's interesting.

I feel like for me, this was a great, like humbling reminder that as much as we focus on what's going wrong in our own government and what's going wrong in our own country because of this, you know, fundamentally incompetent and malicious government that we've got, the rest of the world is continuing not just to react, but to innovate and adjust and to move on without us.

I feel like for me, this was a great, like humbling reminder that as much as we focus on what's going wrong in our own government and what's going wrong in our own country because of this, you know, fundamentally incompetent and malicious government that we've got, the rest of the world is continuing not just to react, but to innovate and adjust and to move on without us.