Background Briefing with Ian Masters

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BACKGROUND BRIEFING: A radio program featuring international and national news, expert guests, policy makers, and critics offering analysis and insight on national security, foreign and domestic policy, political, cultural, and social issues. Five days a week, Background Briefing asks knowledgeable…

Ian Masters


    • Aug 12, 2026 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 1m AVG DURATION
    • 1,838 EPISODES

    4.7 from 542 ratings Listeners of Background Briefing with Ian Masters that love the show mention: briefing, kpfk, listening to ian, domestic and international, international affairs, masters, mainstream media, best source, journalists, production values, rational, background, progressive, experts, aaron, journalism, government, programs, political, informed.


    Ivy Insights

    The Background Briefing with Ian Masters podcast is an excellent source of intelligent and informative discourse on current events. Ian Masters does a phenomenal job of presenting complex issues in a thoughtful and articulate manner. He brings on accomplished and authoritative commentators from around the world, providing a global perspective on the issues at hand. Compared to other news sources, this podcast stands out as being more comprehensive and insightful during chaotic and historic times. Even when Masters slips into "grumpy grandpa" mode, his incredulous questioning adds value to the discussion. Overall, this podcast has been highly educational and I am grateful for it.

    One of the best aspects of The Background Briefing with Ian Masters podcast is the choice of interviewees. Masters consistently brings on knowledgeable experts who provide valuable insights into various topics. The questions and remarks by Ian Masters are insightful and well-informed, creating engaging conversations with his guests. The podcast avoids mindless trends and political bias, presenting a fair and unbiased analysis of current affairs. It's impressive how much thoughtful and timely programming is produced every week, showcasing Masters' dedication to delivering high-quality content.

    While The Background Briefing with Ian Masters podcast has many strengths, there are a few potential drawbacks. Some listeners may find that the host's biased perspective leans towards what they would consider "reality." However, others may view this as a positive aspect that separates the show from mainstream media's surrender to radical talking points instead of factual analysis. Additionally, although the interviews are insightful, some individuals may prefer a more balanced range of opinions to form their own judgments.

    In conclusion, The Background Briefing with Ian Masters podcast is an exceptional source of commentary and analysis on current events. Listeners can expect intelligent discussions with well-chosen guests that provide deeper analyses and insights into pressing issues. While there may be instances where personal biases come through, overall, this podcast offers valuable information for those seeking thoughtful analysis in today's world. Ian Masters' dedication to presenting critical issues with well-informed guests makes this podcast a gem in the media landscape.



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    Latest episodes from Background Briefing with Ian Masters

    August 12, 2026 - Aaron Regunberg | Brian Concannon | Helaine Olen

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2026 59:02


    The Call For Unity After David Crowley's Narrow Win in Wisconsin | Trump, Miller and Mullin's Sadistic Pleasure Has Haitians in Ohio Facing a Cruel Fate | The Reality of the Real Economy is Biting Republicans backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    August 11, 2026 - Hussein Banai | Joan Williams | Eugene Gholz

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2026 60:35


    After the Democrats Failed Twice to Stop Trump, In the End Will It Be Iran's Theocratic Fanatics Who Bring Him Down? | How To Build a Bridge Between College-Educated Democrats and the Concerns of Working Class Voters | How Did We Get To the Point the World's Most Powerful and Expensive Military is Running Out of Ammo? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    August 10, 2026 - Nina Burleigh | Tyson Slocum | Henri Barkey

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2026 61:27


    The Trump Family's Close Ties to the Tate Brothers Who Advocate Rape, Domination and Servility of Women and Girls | Trump Tries to Blame Big Oil For the Price at the Pump After Getting a $Billion in Exchange For Deregulation and the Blocking of Climate Suits | The Turkey/Saudi/Pakistan Defense Pact a Combination of Money, Nukes and Armies. backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    August 9, 2026 - Ryan Cooper | Mike Lofgren | Cory Doctorow

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2026 62:14


    Will the Healing Between Progressive Democrats and Centrists Be Set Back By Tuesday's Primary in Wisconsin? | After Damaging Our Economy, Alliances, Health, Education, Science, Environment, Political Stability, National Cohesion and Rule of Law, Trump is Now Ruining Our Military | Cory Doctorow On How To Think About AI Before It's Too Late backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    August 6, 2026 - Lindsay Owens | Jacob Heilbrunn | Casey Michel

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2026 62:02


    How Democrats Can Distance Themselves From Nutty Ideas Like Cancelling Thanksgiving and Why Third Way Should Not Waste Money Trashing Democratic Socialists | The Uncanny Parallels Between Hiltler's Project 1933 and Trump's Project 2025 | Trump and His Greedy Family and Treasonous Oligarchs

    August 5, 2026 - Andy Levin | Eli Clifton & Ian Lustick | Warren Sackey

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2026 70:02


    A Former Michigan Congressman Who Was Defeated by Congresswoman Stevens and AIPAC Money on Abdul El-Sayed's Victory | Has AIPAC's Power As Washington's Kingmaker Peaked? | With Even Trump Criticising Oil Company Profits, China is Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuel Dependence, But Not the U.S. backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    August 4, 2026 - Harrison Mann | William Cohan | Lisa Graves

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2026 63:46


    Could the Ellisons Walk Away From Their $111 Billion Takeover of Warner Brothers? | Two Craven Republican Senators Accepted Worthless Assurances From Blanche Who Faces an Uncertain Confirmation Vote in the Full Senate | Trump Gives Iran One Day to Make a Deal Over Hormuz Which They Are Doing With Oman Not the U.S backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    August 3, 2026 - Mohsen Milani | Danny Postel | Nicholas Enrich

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2026 60:54


    Trump Backs Down Then Iran Refutes His Claim He Did So Because They Want to Talk | Has the Fratricide Between the Democrats Running For the US Senate in Michigan Doomed the Party's Chances of Winning Back the Senate? | A Whistleblower Who Revealed Trump and Musk's Illegitimate and Dangerous Dismantling of USAID Host: Ian Masters Producers: Graham FitzGibbon, Asher Price

    August 2, 2026 - Sebastiaan Faber | Abby Vesoulis | Robert Pape

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2026 61:23


    Is Speaker Johnson Protecting an Accused Wife Beater and Child Abuser While Senator Bernie Moreno Attacks Dr. Fauci But Does Not Defend the Victim, His Own Daughter? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 30, 2026 - Juan Cole | Larry Tye | Clay Risen

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2026 66:41


    Reviving Their War on Yemen, an Incensed Saudi Leadership Strikes Back at the Houthis | Yesterday's Unseemly Grilling of Fauci by Republican Junkyard Dogs | Similarities Between Stalin's Show Trials and Rand Paul's Ambush of Fauci backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 29, 2026 - Paul Pillar | Rich Logis | Thomas Bollyky

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2026 62:22


    The Increasing Likelihood Trump Will Escalate His War on Iran | Where Refugees From the MAGA Movement Which Has Captured the GOP Can Find a Home | Dr. Fauci Takes the 5th at Senator's Paul's Ambush Designed to Feed Red Meat to the Anti-Vaxxer, Conspiracy Theorists, Quacks and Crackpots backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    July 28, 2026 - Adam Weinstein | Simon Rosenberg | Gota Chanturia

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2026 67:02


    Trump's Meeting With Netanyahu and Hegseth's Shameful Cover Up of U.S. Casualties | How To Heal Divisions Between Centrists and Democratic Socialists Amid Calls For the Embattled Head of the DNC to be Replaced | Guest Host Anna Leah Interviews a Pro-Democracy Activist in the Republic of Georgia Which Like Ukraine, Was Invaded by Russia backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    July 27, 2026 - Nader Hashemi | Sumit Ganguly | Hannah Lucinda Smith

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2026 64:31


    Facing a Choice to Escalate or Capitulate, Will Netanyahu Talk Trump Into Resuming Their War or Will He Listen to the JCS Chair and VP Telling Him We've Run Out of Ammo? | Could America's Gen Z Learn From the Youthful Rebellion in India Against Their Autocratic Leader? | Could the New Cold War in the Hinterlands of Europe and Asia Lead to WWIII? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 26, 2026 - Andrew Latham | Robert Kuttner | Coco Fusco

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2026 64:59


    Trump's Latest Attack on Our Good Neighbor to the North | How to Survive Tyranny and Redeem America | The Release of a Cuban Dissident Artist While Rubio Turns the Screws on Collective Punishment backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 23, 2026 - Steven Simon | David Faris | James Risen

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2026 60:13


    How Much Will Trump's Nuclear Deal With Saudi Arabia Line His Pockets While Increasing the Danger of Nuclear Proliferation? | Trump Says His War is Going Well as Oil Spikes at $100 a Barrel From the Houthi Closure of the Other Choke Point For Gulf Oil Iran Controls | Trump Drops His Subpoenas Against the New York Times But Continues His War Against Real Journalists backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 22, 2026 - Joe Cirincione | Arnie Arneson | Daniel Boguslaw

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2026 63:09


    Will Trump's Fear Of Being Seen as a Loser Drive Him to Try to Bomb Iran Into a Submissive Failed State? | Rubio's New Red Scare List of "Subversives" Includes Mayors Mamdani and Bass, Amy Goodman and the Co-Founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream | Can the Democrats Hold the Senate Seat in New Hampshire Against Former Senator Sununu Who is MAGA Lite and Awash With Money? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 21, 2026 - Johnathan Buma | Scott Horton | Eli Clifton

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2026 56:17


    Russia's Useful Idiot Who is Destroying the FBI Will Go to Moscow in October As a Guest of Putin's Murderous FSB | Russia's Penetration of U.S. Industrial Innovation, Science and Hi Tech | Is the DSA Cracking Up the Democratic Party in the Way the Tea Party Turned the GOP Into MAGA? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 20, 2026 - Nicholas Heras | Simon Shuster | Rick Hasen

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2026 60:55


    Iran Escalates Greenlighting the Houthis as Trump Vows Revenge While Israel is Poised to Enter the War | Zelensky in Full Damage Control After Firing Popular and Innovative Defense Minister | What Can Citizens Do to Stop Trump From Stealing the Next Election? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 19, 2026 - Patrick Blanchfield | Tom Mockaitis | Dr. Michael McDonald

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2026 62:24


    The ICE Killer's Background of Racism, Spousal Abuse and History of Violence | Antifa is Now the Target of Trump and Miller's New Global War on Terrorism | Trump's Ridiculous but Dangerous Speech on the Next Election He is Destined to Lose But Determined to Win by Any Means Necessary backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 17, 2026 - Brett Adkins | Karen Greenberg | Alan Abramowitz

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2026 62:30


    Will Trump's Roy Cohn Get Confirmed Since One Republican Senator's Vote is All It Takes To Tank Todd Blanche's Nomination? | A New DNI Unwilling To Speak Truth To Power in the Reckless Ignoramus's Oval Office Is a Catastrophe For Our National Security | Trump Will Try to Sell the Save America Act Tonight With Manufactured Intel and Racist Delusions About Georgia's Black Voters In 2020 backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 17, 2026 - Dr. Trita Parsi | Anna Grzymala-Busse | Marci Shore

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2026 60:50


    The MoU Fell Apart Because of Trump, Witkoff and Kushner's Amateurism and Desperation and Now We Are About to Lose the Same War Again | There Is No Communism In America But That Won't Stop Trump and Speaker Johnson From Trying to Start a New Red Scare | An Examination of What Democratic Socialism Really Is backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 14, 2026 - Wendy Via | Mitchell Plitnick

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2026 56:08


    Another Murder on the Streets of America By Untrained ICE Thugs Following Trump's Racist Hate Filled Immigration Policy of Deliberate Cruelty | The Political Landscape in Israel Ahead of Elections With Not Much Difference Between Netanyahu and His Rivals backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    July 13, 2026 - Tad Devine | Danielle Vinson | James Livingston

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2026 56:49


    How To Heal Democratic Divisions as Carville Blames Bernie Sanders for Hillary's Loss and "Left Wing Idiots" of Today For Jeopardizing Senate Must-Wins in Maine and Michigan | The Just-Announced Replacement for the Late Senator Lindsey Graham | The Oligarchical Takeover ot the U.S. by "Ruling Class Clowns" backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

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    July 12, 2026 - Omer Aziz | David Broder

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2026 61:29


    We Have A Fascist in the White House and the Only Democrat Trying to Stop His Second Coup is Marc Elias | A Postmortem on the NATO Summit as Europe Falls Apart backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 9, 2026 - Hussein Banai | Fred Turner | Stephen Marche

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2026 62:25


    An Unstable Stalemate in the Persian Gulf is the Likely Outcome of Trump's Disastrous War | With the World's Richest Oligarchs Pushing AI, Will the People Demand Some Agency Over the Future of Their Communities and Livelihoods? | A View From Canada on the Zombification of America as the USA Destroys Itself backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 8, 2026 - Emma Ashford | Bill Scher | John Pitney

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2026 61:47


    Will the War of Words Between Trump and the Iranians Lead to a Real War? | The Scramble to Replace Platner Who Appears Reluctant to Step Down | The Lack of Vetting and Opposition Research in Choosing Candidates to Run in Democratic Primaries backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 7, 2026 - Daniel Shea | Tamar Jacoby | George Beebe

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2026 62:17


    The Latest Platner Scandal Has Bernie and Mamdani Urging Him to Step Aside | What it is Like to Have Russian Missiles and Drones Heading For Your Apartment Building | The NATO Summit Underway and What Does Putin Want From Trump backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    July 6, 2026 - David Hirshey | Timothy Shenk | Kian Tajbakhsh

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2026 61:16


    Crypto Don Makes a Deal With the Head of the Notoriously Corrupt FIFA Which Will Stain a U.S. Victory If There Is To Be One This Evening | Will Trump's Revival of His Mentor Roy Cohn's Red Scare Work? | The Religious Underpinning of the Iranian Theocracy backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

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    July 5, 2026 - Adele Stan | Aziz Rana

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2026 35:51


    Trump's 4th of July Speech Appropriates Patriotism While Pushing Partisan Election Theft | The Declaration of Independence's Least Quoted Passage of Revolutionary Reform backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 2, 2026 - Lincoln Mitchell | Allan Lichtman | Kent Harrington

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2026 60:39


    The Unsettling Irony That Presiding Over the Celebration of 250 Years of American Democracy is a President Out to Destroy American Democracy | How a Government Of the People, By the People and For the People Can Be Reborn 250 Years After the American Revolution | Former Majority Leader Gephardt and Senator Tim Worth's Warning That Trump is Building the Infrastructure of Authoritarian Control backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    July 1, 2026 - Ken Klippenstein | Hannah Metzger | David Daley

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2026 60:11


    The Ludicrously Unqualified Government "Expert" Witness Who Turned Political Protest Into Terrorism to Put Anti-ICE Protesters Away for 450 Years | The Latest Victory For Democratic Socialists | SCOTUS Gifts Republicans With More Unregulated Dark Money backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 30, 2026 - Mae Ngai | James Zirin | Dr. Henry Abraham

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2026 60:41


    The Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship But Kavanaugh Shows Congress How to Undo it | Trump Claims "No Limits" to His Power As He Adds Himself to the List of Mass Murderers and Bloodthirsty Dictators He Calls "Great Men" | With Reality Intruding on Trump's Malignant Narcissism, Will He Become More Dangerous as He Becomes More Delusional? backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    June 29, 2026 - Aziz Huq | Nader Hashemi | Christy McGillivray

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2026 62:19


    A Supreme Court in an Alternative Universe Gives More Power to the "Orange Bandit" | How to Bridge the Different Understandings the U.S. and Iran Have Over the Future of the Strait of Hormuz | A Political Activist Who is Making a Difference backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    June 28, 2026 - David Smilde | David Schultz | Steven Greenhouse

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2026 62:10


    Since Trump Claims He Runs Venezuela, What is He Doing to Help the Victims of the Devastating Earthquakes? | DHS and ICE's Criminalization of Protests Against Their Thuggish Cruelty | As Trump's Poll Numbers Crater, Cracks Are Emerging in Trump's White, Blue Collar Base backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 25, 2026 - Matt Sledge | Josh Fox | Judith Levine

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2026 60:36


    Trump's Favorite Judge Shows How Protesting Against Government Cruelty Can Get You 30 Years in Prison Even If You Weren't at the Protest | Instead of Walls, A Welcome Table | As Trump Tries to End Our Democracy, How Can We Celebrate Our 250th Birthday He is Hijacking? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 24, 2026 - Eric Blanc | Stephen Wertheim | Christopher Miller

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2026 61:04


    What Do the Big Wins By Mamdani-Backed Democratic Socialists in New York Mean for the Future of Democratic Party Leadership | Could There Be a Silver Lining in the Wake of the Otherwise Unmitigated Disaster Trump and Netanyahu Brought to the Persian Gulf? | Could Ukrainian Gains in Crimea Bring About the End of Putin? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 23, 2026 - Dean Baker | Sidney Blumenthal | Steven Levistsky

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2026 61:20


    In Spite of GOP Lies, There's An Easy Fix For a Social Security Shortfall in 2034 | The MAGA Fraud Frays As the Majority Tires of Trump's Lies, Amateurism and Incompetence | The Rise of Right Wing Authoritarian Leaders in Latin America backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    June 22, 2026 - Polly Toynbee | Karen Greenberg | Timi Iwayemi

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2026 61:01


    The UK's PM Resigns With a People-Friendly Andy Burnham Poised to Replace Him | Why Did Republican Senators Confirm a Russian-Friendly Asset to Head U.S. Intel Who Took Her Marching Orders From a Homophobic, Islamophobe, Tinfoil-Wrapped Cult Guru? | The Crooks In Congress in Crypto's Corner backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    June 21, 2026 - Sina Toossi | Andrei Markovits | Alexander Motyl

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2026 62:21


    Iran Closes the Strait Of Hormuz as Negotiators in Switzerland Try to Rescue the U.S.-Iran Peace Deal | Nazi Messages From DHS as MAGA-Trump Racism and Xenophobia Contrast with the Multi-Cultural Diversity and Joy of the World Cup |Could Ukraine Win and Bring Down Putin and Change Russia As We Know It? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 18, 2026 - Joshua Landis | R. Daniel Kelemen | Shawna Kidman

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2026 60:46


    Vance Unloads on Israel in an Obvious Warning Not to Spoil the White House Deal With Iran | How to Stop an Autocrat From Rigging Another Election | Efforts to Stop the Paramount-Warner Merger and Its Impact on Jobs, News and Culture backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 17, 2026 - Robert Malley | Joshua Shifrinson | David Walbert

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2026 62:44


    Even if Trump Has Given Away the Store, Diplomacy is Better Than Continuing to Fight a Lost War | The Price the U.S. Will Pay for Trump's Hubris, Hegseth's Incompetence and Netanyahu's Mendacity | In Shelving His New DNI and FISA Deal, Trump Makes Clear That Rigging the Next Election is His Top Priority backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 16, 2026 - Matthew Petti | Charles Kupchan | Jennifer Kavanagh

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2026 60:57


    A Deal to Make a Deal Has Hawks on All Sides Terrified it Will Succeed | G-7 Leaders Bring Trump and Zelensky Together to Change the U.S. Role From Messenger Between Ukraine and Russia to Mediator That Makes Peace | The Iran War and the Future of American Empire and is Trump Blowing a Chance to Make Peace in Ukraine? backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    June 15, 2026 - Juan Cole | Jeremi Suri | Quinn Slobodian

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2026 63:16


    Iran Will Sign a Deal on Friday as the Winner, But Will the War Be Over? | As Texas Republicans Target Talarico's Masculinity, the White House Puts on a Display of Toxic Masculinity and Cheesy Patriotism | Is the World's First Trilllionaire Elon Musk a "Human Ponzi Scheme"? backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    June 14, 2026 - Harrison Mann | Aslı Bâli | Aaron Regunberg

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2026 60:47


    Trump's 80th Birthday Present Today Is Mindless Violence Where Jackie Kennedy's Rose Garden Once Stood Instead of Iran Signing a Peace Deal | A Post-War Strategic Realignment That Will Leave the U.S. Much Worse Off | With Big Oil a Winner of This War, It's Past Time to Kick the Habit and Get Off The Oil Drug backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 11, 2026 - Robert Pape | Elizabeth Goitein | Moira Donegan

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2026 61:38


    Trump Tries To Spin His Way Out of a Defeat and the End of U.S. Hegemony in the Persian Gulf | Trump Ditches Pulte to Unblock FISA So the Government Can Spy on Americans | Trump's Lies About California Vote-Rigging Set the Stage To Rig the November Elections backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 10, 2026 - Paul Pillar | Ira Shapiro

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2026 60:43


    Trump's Plan to Destroy US Intelligence and Steal the Next Election | The Common Sense Coalition's Warning of the Trump Catastrophe For Our Democracy, National Security, Economy and the Future of the Planet backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 9, 2026 - Ben Burgis | Mitchell Prothero | Lisa Graves

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2026 59:40


    In Spite of Hit Jobs From the Liberal Media, a Progressive Populist is Poised to Win in Maine | A Report From Albania on Protests Against Jared and Ivanka's Luxury Resort in a Nature Reserve | Trump Has His Roy Cohn But Will the Mafia Boss Get His Consigliere Confirmed? backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    June 8, 2026 - Hussein Banai | Ben Freeman | James Risen

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2026 60:15


    Trump to Netanyahu: "I Call The Shots" and You Have To Accept Any Peace Deal I Make with Iran | Amid Heightened Tensions Between the US and Israel, Congress Quietly Moves to Integrate US and Israeli Militaries | Scott Pelley Tells the NYT How Bari Weiss Ordered Changes to a 60 Minutes Report to Support Trump's Lies backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    June 7, 2026 - David Hearst | Robert Kuttner | Steven Harper

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2026 59:41


    The US and Iran Exchange Fire Jeopardizing a Tenuous Ceasefire As Iran Insists on Trump Handing Over $24 Billion of Its Money Before Finalizing a Deal | Republican Senators Give Stephen Miller $70 Billion On Top Of $100 Billion Unspent to Pursue Cruelty a Majority of Taxpayers Oppose |The DoJ Under Todd Blanche is the Department of Trump Family Crime and Pedophile Protection backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 4, 2026 - James Zirin | Amy Fried | Michael Kimmage

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2026 59:59


    Now That Trump Has His Roy Cohn, Will the Senate Confirm Todd Blanche to be the Nation's Attorney General? | The Impact of the Latest Scandal Swirling Around Graham Platner on the Democrat's Chances to Win Back the Senate | Having Turned Russia Into a Police State, Who is Left to Topple Putin? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

    June 3, 2026 - Sasha Abramsky | Edward McCaffery | Steven Simon

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2026 61:22


    Election Results From Yesterday's Primaries With a Focus on California | Trump's Roy Cohn Does a Bait and Switch Ending the $1.8 Billion Slush Fund While Shielding Trump and His Family From IRS Audits | Trump Publicly Displays Anger at Netanyahu While Quietly the Pentagon Takes Over Oversight of Aid to Israel

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