The situation in Ukraine escalated this week as Russian troops inch closer to Ukraine’s eastern border just days before Crimea is set to vote on a referendum to secede from Ukraine and officially join Russia. Secretary of State John Kerry flew to London on Friday to sit down with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov while Senator John McCain and seven other senators travelled to Ukraine on Thursday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also stepped up her rhetoric warning Putin that if Russia continues on this path that it will face harsh economic and diplomatic repercussions from the European Union.
On Saturday’s Melissa Harris-Perry we will bring you the latest from that region, as well as the latest from Syria as that country’s civil war enters its fourth year.
It has now been one year since Pope Francis was installed as the Bishop of Rome. While this Pope has proven to be far more progressive than his predecessors when it comes to homosexuality, poverty, the Vatican bank, and other weighty topics, when it comes to other topics such as sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, some have accused Pope Francis of not doing enough. On Saturday’s MHP we will take a deep dive into the Pontiff’s work over the past 12 months. We will also discuss the St. Patrick’s Day parade being held in Boston this weekend and the ongoing controversy surrounding the ban on gay participants.
This week, Wisconsin and Ohio made news worthy of everyone’s favorite voting rights watchdog segment: This Week In Voter Suppression! In Wisconsin, the GOP controlled state Senate passed two voter restrictions, one that affects early voting and the other that makes it easier for lobbyists to make personal donations to candidates. On top of that, Gov. Scott Walker has vowed to hold a special legislative session to modify a voter-ID restriction that two county judges blocked in 2011 – if judges refuse to uphold the law this spring. We’ll welcome One Wisconsin Now‘s Scot Ross to discuss. Over in Ohio, Republican politicians have made it increasingly harder to vote in the Buckeye state, but this week, a voting bill of rights got one step closer to being on the ballot come November.
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10am EST on MSNBC! Jonathan Capehart, opinion writer for the Washington Post, will be in for Melissa. Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.
Rachel Zuckerman