Can you point to Ukraine on a map, ma'am?

So just a brief discussion on my guilty pleasure before I begin my discussion. So... I love NPR. I know this makes me sound like a boring old woman, but you all need to get hip! If you are not already fans, you must know that it has a little bit of something for everyone-news, sports, comedy, music, etc. It is my go to source for updates on the news when I'm driving back and forth from school. Radio is not dead people! Even if I am the sole listener, it still must be alive!!

The other day I heard a story that made me feel lots of emotions all at once. Do you all know who our Secretary of State is? His name is Mike Pompeo. This guy is at the center of key issues in Washington and is an important player in our relationship with Iran. Usually at this point people tend to tune out because foreign policy can be a long-winded snooze-fest. However, things got juicy during an interview with Pompeo and Mary Louise Kelly, co-host of All Things Considered. This was going down around the time of the impeachment investigations and a lot of banter was tossed around of the subject of Trump and his cronies. To avoid boring you with stuff about Yovonavitch surveillance, the Ukraine call, and the COVER UP OF IT ALL. I will skip to the (more juicy?) part. Kelly conducts her interview per her normal routine and asks questions about Ukraine policy and immediately after the questioning Pompeo stood, leaned in and silently glared at Kelly for several seconds before leaving the room.
....... okay, now that is just sleazyyyyyy.

A few moments later, an aide asked Kelly to follow her into Pompeo's private living room at the State Department, WITHOUT A RECORDER. Excuse me, what?? I am now worried for her life. The aide did not say the ensuing exchange would be off the record. So, it is not off the goddamn record. Inside the room, Pompeo shouted at her for asking him questions he didn't want to answer and asked Kelly to identify the country on a map, which she did. BECAUSE SHE IS NPR HOST MARY LOUISE KELLY. Also, who just keeps a blank map in their private living room? He used repeated expletives, according to Kelly, and asked, "Do you think Americans give a fuck about Ukraine?"

Secretary of (Hate) Heyooooo

Kelly went on and did the right thing, and blasted him on her radio show for being a total d-bag. She talks about how she has email receipts with his press secretary confirming the questions she would ask, and yes they did include Ukraine. Pompeo did the only thing he knows how and responded again with another hateful blast:

"NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly lied to me, twice. First, last month, in setting up our interview and, then again yesterday, in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record. It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency. This is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this Administration. It is no wonder that the American people distrust many in the media when they so consistently demonstrate their agenda and their absence of integrity.
It is worth noting that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine." -Mike Pompeo

So the dispute came down to an ethical debate on the legitimacy of the off the record verbal agreement. What he regrets is the fact that everyone knows that he is a total jerk, and we have her word against his. Not only is this a discussion of the ugly relationship between the White House and the media, but the ugly relationship of those who reside within that White House treat women. He attempted to assert dominance over her by pulling her aside to reprimand and degrade. It is just disgusting. Kelly responded to the whole thing on another episode with her co-host. She said, "I prefer to let the interview and our journalism speak for themselves." There is no reason to ignore that this interaction is a result of institutionalized misogyny. This is going on when you think no one is listening.This is why we need to listen to NPR, this is something you don't want to miss.