3:00 PM PACIFIC TIME: MONDAYS - THURSDAYS
Background Briefing offers an educational approach to providing information in an era of “fake news.”
As Biden and the Democrats Circle the Wagons, Concerns Persist in the Rest of the Country, Meanwhile Trump Gets a Free Pass in the Media We begin with Democratic lawmakers and officials heeding the call from the White House to circle the wagons in support of Joe Biden; meanwhile the rest of the country appears … Continued
Should Biden Follow the Example of George Washington? We begin with President Biden’s defiance in the face of mounting calls from Democratic donors and House and Senate members for him to step down, as more and more talk of getting behind VP Kamala Harris to run against Trump is emerging from the punditry and the … Continued
A View From Abroad as Biden Stands Between the Survival of Global Democracy and the Rule of Law and Dictatorship We begin on the fourth of July and go to London to speak with Sarah Churchwell, a Professor of American literature and humanities at the School of Advanced Study of the University of London. She is … Continued
A Historical Assessment of How the Major Political Parties Have Become Hollow Shells We begin with an historical assessment of how the major political parties have become hollow shells locked in a polarized struggle for power, with personalities dominating our politics rather than parties and platforms. With increasing talk of the Democrats having an open … Continued
The Supreme Court Has Handed the Criminal Trump a Loaded Gun, Might Biden Also Use it? We begin with the loaded gun the Supreme Court handed to a convicted criminal who is ahead in the polls and might be elected the next president, having vowed to be a dictator and to exact retribution. This means … Continued
If Biden is Lucky to Be Running Against Trump and Not a Younger Candidate, Does That Mean The Republicans Would be Worse Off Against a Younger Democratic Candidate? We begin with Biden’s disastrous debate performance on Thursday and the chorus of calls from nervous Democrats to resign that followed. While it is clear that Biden … Continued
Why Do More Americans in Swing States Think Trump is Better For Democracy? The Answer Might be the Local Influence of Sinclair Broadcast Group We begin with a Washington Post poll that finds more Americans in key swing states think Trump is better for democracy than Biden and try to explain this Orwellian disconnect by … Continued
Republican Billionaires are Moving the Democratic Party to the Right as AIPAC Buys Elections For Corporate Democrats We begin with the most expensive primary election in US history in New York’s 16th district which saw the unseating of a Democratic incumbent Jamaal Bowman defeated by a candidate recruited and financed by AIPAC, the Israel lobby, … Continued
A Journalist Who Faced Jail Under the Espionage Act on Assange’s Plea Deal We begin with the end of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s 14-year legal saga as he is due to appear on Wednesday in a US court in the Northern Marianas to be charged with one count under the Espionage Act in a plea … Continued
Trump’s Open Declaration of War Against the Rule of Law We begin with Trump’s open declaration of war against the rule of law, as he attacks judges, district attorneys, juries, witnesses, the FBI, election workers, government whistleblowers, Republican lawmakers who have criticized him, and media figures and journalists who have reported the many damning facts … Continued
