Why the Democrats’ big bill matters

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has called on Western governments to bar Russians from entering their countries. In an interview with the Washington Post he said that they ought to “live in their own world until they change their philosophy”. Finland, Estonia and Latvia have also backed restrictions on Russian travel. 

Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, Ido Vock in Berlin and the New Statesman’s environment correspondent, India Bourke, in London, discuss the rationale behind Zelensky’s request, the consequences such a ban might have for people in Russia and how Western countries have responded.

Meanwhile, the US Senate has finally passed the Inflation Reduction Act. It is the largest climate investment in the country’s history and the biggest victory against climate change since the 2015 Paris Agreement. The team discuss what the bill includes, the concessions made to get the legislation through the Senate and what it means for inspiring climate action around the world.

Then, in You Ask Us, a listener wants to know what on Earth a vote-a-rama is, and will we have more of them?

Further reading:

India Bourke explains why Biden’s bill is the biggest climate victory since the Paris Agreement.

Ido Vock writes Volodymyr Zelensky is wrong to ask the West to ban Russian tourists.

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