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Background Briefing offers an educational approach to providing information in an era of “fake news.”
On the Brink of the Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza as Ceasefire Talks Are Deadlocked We begin with the likely invasion of Rafah and the expulsion of Palestinians into Egypt, as talks underway in Cairo for a ceasefire appear deadlocked and while Netanyahu’s right flank threatens to bolt from the ruling coalition if he accepts a … Continued
A Pro-Israel Mob Invades the UCLA Campus to Beat up Pro-Palestinian Students While the Police Look On We begin with a violent invasion by a pro-Israel mob who came onto the UCLA campus last night to beat up the pro-Palestinian students and tear down their encampment, while UCLA security, campus police, and the LAPD stood … Continued
As Campus Protests Intensify and Spread, Northwestern University Serves as a Model For De-escalation We begin with more campuses erupting across the country, as protests against Israel’s war in Gaza intensify and spread, and speak with Wendy Pearlman, a professor of political science and director of the Middle East and North Africa studies program at Northwestern … Continued
The Weaponization of Anti-Semitism Against Students Protesting on American Campuses We begin with escalating tensions on campuses across America, as pro-Palestinian demonstrators face off against supporters of Israel, with the charge of anti-semitism weaponized against students expressing outrage over the war in Gaza. Joining us is Raz Segal, a professor of Holocaust and genocide studies … Continued
More Special Treatment of Trump by the Supreme Court We begin with today’s Supreme Court hearing on Trump’s immunity claim, which is delaying Jack Smith’s Washington D.C. case against Trump for the January 6th insurrection. Based on what we heard today, the far-right justices will delay things even more until after the election or possibly … Continued
Supreme Court Anti-Abortion Ideologues Threaten Access to Emergency Care We begin with the Supreme Court’s oral arguments over whether an Idaho abortion ban will gut the Reagan era law EMTALA, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which prevents hospitals from denying patients care who show up at hospital emergency rooms. Joining us is Dr. Rob … Continued
Trump’s History of Using and Abusing Women We begin with the role The National Enquirer played in helping to elect Trump in 2016, which emerged from today’s testimony from the tabloid’s ex-publisher David Pecker, who operated a “catch and kill” policy of burying damaging stories about Trump and his extramarital affairs, including Trump’s sexual encounter … Continued
Arrests of Students Protesting the War in Gaza Spread From Columbia to Yale We begin with dozens of students protesting the war in Gaza arrested today at Yale University following last week’s arrests of over 100 at Columbia University and speak with Alexander Sammon, a politics writer at Slate who has previously written for Mother Jones, … Continued
A View From Ukraine as the Fate of Their Country Hangs in the Hands of Mike Johnson and Marjorie Taylor Greene We begin with Speaker Johnson promising the Ukraine aid bill will be on the House floor on Saturday, as the far-right Republican pro-Putin caucus intensifies their threats against him. We go to Ukraine to … Continued
The Prologue to the Trump Criminal Trial Underway in Which AG Barr Went Out of His Way to Protect “Individual 1” We begin with the criminal trial of Donald Trump underway in New York and examine the prologue to the trial, going back to the case brought by the Republican SDNY U.S. Attorney at the … Continued
