Background Briefing (5am)

Background Briefing (5am)

5:00 AM PACIFIC TIME: TUESDAYS - FRIDAYS

Background Briefing (5am)

Veteran Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller, DAWN’s Sarah Leah Whitson, and former CIA analyst Paul Pillar join to unpack Trump’s proposed Gaza peace and reconstruction plan, the exclusion of Palestinians from negotiations, and the uncertain prospects for its success.

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A Veteran Middle East Negotiator on the Gaza Peace Deal and Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan We begin with the return of Israeli prisoners minus the remains of many hostages, the release of 1,700 Palestinian prisoners, Donald Trump’s address to the Israeli Knesset and the meeting of regional leaders in Egypt and speak with Aaron … Continued

Background Briefing (5am)

On the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks, we examine how $21.7 billion in U.S. military aid has fueled Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, how a federal judge pushed back against Trump’s militarized overreach in Portland, and why author Cory Doctorow says the digital world has gone to s**t—and what we can do about it.

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On the Second Anniversary of the October 7 Massacre: The Role of $21.7 Billion in U.S. Military Aid We begin with the anniversary of the horrific attack on Israel by Hamas against mostly civilians two years ago and assess the role of the U.S. in enabling so much death and destruction that has followed, given … Continued

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We assess growing alarm over Trump’s mental state with psychiatrist Dr. Allen Frances, unpack Trump’s contradictory soybean bailouts with political scientist Maria Victoria Murillo, and examine America’s staggering wealth inequality with Chuck Collins, who reveals that 905 billionaires now own more than 66 million U.S. households combined.

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Is Trump Crazier Than Ever Or Has He Always Been Crazy? We begin with increasing alarm at Trump’s mental state and now Governor Pritzker of Illinois is calling for the Vice President to invoke the 25th Amendment which would require the cabinet to agree that the president is not mentally fit to continue in office, … Continued

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We examine Trump and Stephen Miller’s escalating crusade against Democrats they brand as “communists” and “terrorists,” with Elizabeth Goitein on the constitutional dangers of Trump’s threats to occupy blue cities, and Lisa Graves on how Chief Justice John Roberts, backed by billionaire interests, has quietly dismantled decades of civil and voting rights under the guise of judicial neutrality.

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Trump and Miller Broaden Their War on Democrats They Label as Communists and Terrorists We begin with an increasingly unhinged president and his dark-whisperer the shadow president Stephen Miller broadening their war on Democrats they label as communists and terrorists as Trump moves to use the government shutdown to make cuts in what he calls … Continued

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We uncover Trump and Stephen Miller’s chilling NSPM-7 directive that brands mainstream beliefs as “terrorist,” with Ken Klippenstein on its authoritarian implications, Stephen Marche on Trump’s evolution into a caudillo-style strongman stoking civil war rhetoric, and Sasha Abramsky on how Trump and Russell Vought are weaponizing the government shutdown to punish and impoverish public service workers.

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Trump and Miller’s National Security Directive NSPM-7 Outlaws the Common Beliefs of Over Half of the Country We begin with a frightening move that has gone under the radar by Trump and Stephen Miller to outlaw and defund political opposition as “Anti-Christian” and “Anti-American,” in the name of dismantling “left wing terrorism” which means going … Continued

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How Trump Turns Crisis Into Power: The Shutdown, the Military, and the War on Truth

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As a potential government shutdown looms, economist Robert Kuttner joins the program to unpack how Donald Trump is exploiting the crisis—using racist deepfakes and disinformation to shift blame and consolidate power. Later, historian Stuart Schrader discusses Trump’s alarming rhetoric to military leaders and the rise of “enemy within” narratives, while climate scientist Michael Mann exposes … Continued

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Trump’s “Eternal Peace” Farce and the Shutdown Showdown

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Donald Trump declares “one of the great days ever in civilization” as he touts an imaginary Middle East peace plan Hamas hasn’t signed, while fawning over Netanyahu at a no-questions press conference. Later, experts unpack how his brinkmanship over a looming government shutdown reveals a strategy of bad-faith politics designed to sow chaos and shift … Continued