Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

5:00 AM PACIFIC TIME: MONDAYS

This hour broadcasts the show produced by Background Briefing with Ian Masters on Sunday.

Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

We explore the prospects for peace in Gaza with former NSC official Steven Simon, examine Katherine Stewart’s warning that Trump’s second coup is already underway through a Christian nationalist power grab, and reflect with author James Carroll on what becomes of Israel, Palestine—and America itself—when this long, cruel war finally ends.

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Will Peace Happen in Gaza and Trump Get His Nobel Prize? We begin with an assessment whether there will be a peace deal in the next few hours and speak with Steven Simon, who served on the National Security Council staff as senior director for Middle Eastern and North African affairs and also worked on … Continued

Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

We investigate how Trump has turned the Department of Justice into his personal law firm with former defense lawyers acting as political enforcers, with analysis from legal expert Harry Litman; hear from activist David Adler aboard a Gaza aid flotilla under Israeli drone attack; and speak with veteran peace negotiator Robert Malley on the enduring struggle for peace amid today’s devastation.

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The Consiglieres Running Trump’s Private Law Firm, the DoJ as Junkyard Dogs Unleashed to Hound, Harass, Bankrupt and Jail the Mob Boss’s Enemies We begin with the mob boss in the White House exposing the Department of Justice as nothing more than his private law firm with consiglieres who are his former defense lawyers unleashed … Continued

Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

We examine Trump’s escalating assault on the First Amendment and his threats to strip major networks of their licenses with Jacob Heilbrunn, then uncover the deeper story behind the Epstein files with economist and investigator James Henry, who traces the web of global finance, espionage, and exploitation linking Robert and Ghislaine Maxwell to Jeffrey Epstein’s empire.

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The Trump Coup Underway and His Assault on the First Amendment We begin with the assault on the First Amendment by Trump and his MAGA cabinet of yes-men and women with the wannabe mob boss and dictator claiming 97% of the mainstream media’s coverage of him is negative and therefore ABC, CBS and NBC should … Continued

Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

We analyze Trump and Stephen Miller’s declaration of war on Democrats—labeled by Miller as “a domestic terrorism organization”—with scholar Kim Lane Scheppele on the authoritarian blueprint they’re following, Jared Holt on the rise of Christian nationalist power networks behind Trump’s allies, and whistleblower Reality Winner on the staggering double standard between her imprisonment and Trump’s impunity under the Espionage Act.

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Trump and His Co-President Stephen Miller Declare War on the Democratic Party Which Miller Calls “A Domestic Terrorism Organization” We begin with Trump and his co-president Stephen Miller declaring war on the American left which includes half the country who voted for the Democratic Party which Miller calls “a domestic terrorism organization.” He is vowing … Continued

Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

We examine Trump and Marco Rubio’s escalating threats toward Venezuela and calls for a regional campaign of extrajudicial killings with historian Miguel Tinker Salas, explore Trump’s cynical Ukraine “peace” scheme with analyst Aram Shabanian, and assess the deadly impact of DHS funding cuts on violence prevention with expert Brette Steele following the tragic Minneapolis school shooting.

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Trump Escalates Threats Against Venezuela as Rubio Calls For a Regional Latin American Campaign of Extrajudicial Killings We begin increasing threats coming from Trump and Rubio warning Venezuela’s Maduro not to fly his F-16’s near US navy ships off Venezuela’s coast while Rubio in Ecuador outlined plans for a broader regional campaign of extrajudicial murder … Continued

Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

We expose how Trump and his handpicked loyalists—Hegseth, Ratcliffe, Gabbard, Patel, Bongino, and Noem—are hollowing out America’s defense and intelligence institutions with analysis from Karen Greenberg, examine the public health collapse fueled by conspiracy-driven politics with global health expert Lawrence Gostin, and uncover the domestic blowback from America’s post-9/11 killing machine with journalist Seth Harp, author of The Fort Bragg Cartel.

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Trump, Hegseth, Ratcliffe, Gabbard, Patel, Bongino and Noem Might as Well be Working For Putin and Xi as They Destroy Our National Security We begin with the the destruction of America’s national security by Trump and his clown car of heads of our military and intelligence services: Hegseth, Ratcliffe, Gabbard, Patel, Bongino and Noem, all … Continued

Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

A deep dive into Trump’s fawning Alaska summit with Putin—where reality-TV diplomacy, Russian state media spin, and crypto-corruption collide—featuring insights from Angela Stent, Michael Gorham, and Jacob Silverman.

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The Shameful Amateurism of Trump’s Reality TV Diplomacy as He Sells Out Ukraine While Fawning Over a Wanted War Criminal We begin with Friday’s Trump/Putin summit in Alaska which the Russians refer to as Russkaya Amerika at which Trump again displayed his fealty to Putin welcoming a wanted war criminal on a US military base which had … Continued

Background Briefing (Monday, 5am)

Trump’s Tariff Spree/Trump Accuses Obama of “Treason,” Bonfire: American Sociocide, Broken Relations, and the Quest for Democracy.

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Trump’s Tariff Spree and Shooting the Messenger With the Bad Jobs Report We begin with Trump’s tariff spree issued on August 1 that is blatantly politically rather than economically motivated along with a bad jobs report that could augur a downturn for the economy which has Trump blaming the messenger, the head of the Bureau … Continued