Today’s Launch of DEFIANCE.ORG to Help Americans Push Back Against Trump’s Revenge
We begin with a defiant one who was the first to be targeted by Trump for vengeful prosecution before Comey and the others who, in response to being continually asked what can we do to stop Trump, has launched a movement today to help Americans push back against Trump’s revenge. Joining us is Miles Taylor, a national security expert who works in Washington, DC. He served as chief of staff for Kirstjen Nielsen, the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under the first Trump administration, where he published an “Anonymous” essay in The New York Times, blowing the whistle on presidential misconduct. He later published the #1 national bestseller A Warning, revealed himself to be the author, and launched a campaign of ex-officials to oppose Donald Trump’s reelection. He has worked as an advisor in the George W. Bush administration, on Capitol Hill, as a CNN contributor, and is the cofounder of multiple democracy-reform groups. His latest book is Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump, and, he is the cofounder of DEFIANCE.ORG, a coalition of national security veterans, whistleblowers, and pro-democracy leaders pledging to protect those targeted unlawfully by presidential abuses of power. Also joining us is Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, the CEO of RepresentUs. She is an advocate, author, and lawyer with two decades of experience globally and within the US on issues of corruption, authoritarianism, organized crime, and human rights. Maria has held multiple senior positions at Human Rights Watch and served as executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, at the helm of a team running groundbreaking state and national campaigns. She is also the founder the Congressional Courage Campaign.
As Putin Behaves Like A Nazi Killing Ukrainian Civilians, Hitler’s Murderousness Mobilized the Russians, 26 Million of Whom Died Defeating Nazism
Then, with Putin’s Russia today behaving like Nazis as they target Ukrainian civilians while destroying their homes and cities, in the name of fighting Nazis, we look into the history of why the Bolsheviks and the Jews were Hitler’s main obsession and primary target and how the scorched-earth cruelty of the murderous invaders motivated the Soviet people to defeat Hitler who they initially thought could not be worse than Stalin but soon found out the hard way with 26 million Russians killed. Joining us is Jochen Hellbeck, a Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University, specializing in modern Russia, the Soviet Union, and the history of World War II. He is the recipient of fellowships from the New York Public Library Cullman Center, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the American Academy in Berlin, among others, and he is the acclaimed author of Stalingrad: The City That Defeated the Third Reich, Revolution on My Mind: Writing a Diary under Stalin, and the online project Facing Stalingrad. His latest book is WORLD ENEMY NO. 1: Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia and the Fate of the Jews.
Background Briefing offers an educational approach to providing information in an era of “fake news.”

