Background Briefing with Ian Masters-logo

Background Briefing with Ian Masters

News & Politics Podcasts

Background Briefing goes far beyond the headlines and deep under the radar to bring forward truths unheard elsewhere in American media. Background Briefing features international and national news, expert guests, policymakers, and critics offering...

Location:

United States

Description:

Background Briefing goes far beyond the headlines and deep under the radar to bring forward truths unheard elsewhere in American media. Background Briefing features international and national news, expert guests, policymakers, and critics offering analysis and insight on national security, foreign and domestic policy, political, cultural, and social issues. backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Language:

English

Contact:

213 422 0537


Episodes
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May 13, 2026 - Dr. Henry Abraham | Juan Cole | David Ost

5/13/2026
Growing Medical Concern About the President of the United States | The US and Israel Have Destabilized Global Oil and Gas Supplies For the Foreseeable Future | The Meaning of Fascism as Authoritarian Populism is on the Rise backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Duration:01:00:42

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May 12, 2026 - Sidney Blumenthal | Michael Swaine | Molly Crabapple

5/12/2026
A Sunsetting Trump's Demonstratively Declining Mental and Physical Abilities | Trump's Weak Hand as He Meets With Xi | Molly Crabapple on the Jewish Labor Bund's Struggle For a Secular, Internationalist Society Based on Socialist Ideals of Equality and Dignity backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Duration:01:04:37

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May 11, 2026 - Mark Fitzpatrick | Jacob Heilbrunn | Andrew Cockburn

5/11/2026
Trump Rejects Iran's Offer While Netanyahu Warns of "Reengaging Them Militarily" | In Turning Against Trump's War, a Prominent Neocon Wants a Bigger War | Andrew Cockburn on Corruption and Lies in the Age of Trump backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Duration:01:00:45

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May 10, 2026 - Ori Goldberg | Firmesk Rahim | Marc Bennetts

5/10/2026
As Trump Desperately Tries to Make a Deal With Iran, Will Israel Be the Spoiler? | Pressure on Trump From the Saudis and Gulf States to Make a Deal With Iran | Russia's Descent Into Madness and Murder Under Putin backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:00:58:05

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May 7, 2026 - Dr. Nancy Okail | John Nichols | Quinn Slobodian

5/7/2026
Pressure on Trump From the Saudis to Make a Deal With Iran While Israel Warns the Deal Would be a Disaster For Them | Chief Justice Roberts' Hollow Indignation at the American People For Thinking He and His Colleagues Are "Political Actors" | From Henry Ford's Production-Consumption Capitalism To Elon Musk's Techno-Driven Dismantling of the State that Funds Him backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:00:52

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May 8, 2026 - Nicholas Grossman | Dr. Sara Vakhshouri | Tom LoBianco

5/6/2026
More Erratic Moves From Trump as He Appears Desperate and the Iranians seem to be Holding the Cards | How Long Can Iran Ride Out the Oil Blockade and What is Behind the Saudi-UAE Split Over OPEC | Trump's Cult-Like Hold Over the GOP Just Got a Boost From Indiana backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:01:18

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May 5, 2026 - Michael Gorham | Lisa Graves | Scott Ferson

5/5/2026
Are Putin's Days Numbered? | Six Right Wing Activists in Robes Killed the VRA to Make Sure Republicans Win Elections Regardless of the Majority Vote | Why the Democrats Lost Not Just the Vote, But the Voter in 2024 backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:01:17

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May 4, 2026 - Michael Kimmage | Thomas Berger | Oona Hathaway

5/4/2026
Leaks From European Intel Say Putin is Increasingly Paranoid and Afraid of His Own Military | Trump Pulls Troops Out of Germany After a Spat With Chancellor Mertz | Trump's Triply Illegal War on Iran Just Got More Dangerous backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Duration:01:00:37

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May 3, 2026 - Hussein Banai | Charles Derber | Peter Dreier

5/3/2026
The Deadly, Delusional Amateurism of Trump's On and Off Talks With Iran As He Now Threatens to "Blast the Hell Out of Them" | The Rise of Left Wing Populism After a Devastating Era of Right Wing Populism Perpetrated By a Criminal Fraudster in the Service of a Greedy Oligarchy | May Day 2026 and What Kind of Nation Will We Be? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:07:11

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April 30, 2026 - Karen Greenberg | Tamar Jacoby | Thomas Mockaitis

4/30/2026
Trump's Briefing Today on How to Get Out From Under His Maniacal Misadventure in the Middle East | A Report From Kyiv on Trump Checking in With the Boss Yesterday in His Hour and Half Phone Call With Putin | Hegseth's Testimony Today Before the Senate Armed Services Committee backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:00:59:00

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April 29, 2026 - Harry Litman | Michael McDonald | Thomas Nichols

4/29/2026
A Craven Creep Auditioning For a Mob Boss Who Wants a Consigliere Not an Attorney General | The Fulfillment of John Roberts Long Crusade To Give Republicans An Advantage By Undoing Voting Rights For Minorities | While Insulting House Democrats and Republicans, Hegseth Asks For an Extra $1.5 Trillion backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:02:49

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April 26, 2026 - Bill Scher | Peter Loge | Toby Miller

4/28/2026
Political Assassins More Often End up Achieving the Opposite of What Their Manifestos Proclaim | Trump's Tactic of Attacking the Messenger in Order to Avoid the Message | King Charles' Repair Job For Anglo/American Relations at the White House and Congress Today backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:00:43

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April 27, 2026 - Ken Klippenstein | Charles Kupchan | Juan David Rojas

4/27/2026
After Trump Assassinated Leaders Abroad, an American Citizen Struck Back Saying He Is "No Longer Willing to Permit a Pedophile, Rapist, and Traitor to Coat My Hands With His Crimes" | Are Our Allies Separating From Us or is a Divorce Underway? | Do the CIA Deaths in Mexico Mean Trump is Playing With Fire? backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Duration:01:02:21

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April 26, 2026 - Adele Stan | Matthew Petti | Alfred McCoy

4/26/2026
A Celebration of the First Amendment Upended by the Unregulated Second Amendment | Trump's Latest Diplomatic Dance Without a Partner | Will Iran be the Death Rattle of the American Empire? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:01:05

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April 23, 2026 - Jennifer Kavanaugh | James Zirin | Bruce Fein

4/23/2026
While Trump Thrashes About, Iran's Leaders Can Afford to be Patient | The Blowback From Assassinating Heads of State | If the Law is to Bring Down a Lawless President, Impeachment is Much More Likely to Succeed Than the 25th Amendment backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:00:47

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April 22, 2026 - Harrison Mann | Jacob Heilbrunn | Kathleen Rogers

4/22/2026
Our Reality TV President is at War With Reality in Iran | Trump Is Also Losing on the Domestic Front After Yesterday's Election in Virginia | On Earth Day a World Addicted to Oil Looking For a Fix as the Dealers Fight Over the Supply backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:01:06

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April 21, 2026 - Jonathan Guyer | Stephen Marche | Scott Horton

4/21/2026
Kushner/Witkoff Diplomacy Fails Again with Trump "Ready to Go To War" as Iran Has "Prepared New Surprises" | Trump Turns Allies Into Enemies While Weakening America at Warp Speed | How Long Can the Ridiculous Drunken Fanboy in Charge of the FBI Last? backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Duration:01:00:19

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April 20, 2026 - Nader Hashemi | Stephen Kinzer | Fred Turner

4/20/2026
Uncertainty Over Talks to End the War on Iran Before the Ceasefire Deadline Expires | The CIA's Legacy of Blowback Where, But For Their 1953 Coup, Iran Would be a Thriving, Secular Democratic State Today | Palantir's Manifesto as a Technofascist Doctrine backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Duration:01:01:17

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April 19, 2026 - Juan Cole | Thanassis Cambanis | Allen Frances

4/19/2026
With What Trump Calls the Strait of Iran Closed Again, It's Clear Whomever the Administration is Talking to Are Not in Charge of Iran | Although Trump Forced Netanyahu's Hand Prohibiting Him From Bombing Lebanon, the Israeli Public Wants the IDF to Finish Off Hezbollah | How to Remove an Increasingly Mentally Ill Trump From Office backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:04:26

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April 16, 2026 - Habib Battah | Basav Sen | Lindsay Koshgarian | Amy Goodman

4/16/2026
A Reality Check on Trump's Claims He's Stopping His 10th War in Lebanon | How Big Oil is Making an Extra $30 Million an Hour Out of the Iran War | The Average Taxpayer Shelled Out Over $4,000 For War and Weapons Last Year | Amy Goodman on the New Film About Her STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

Duration:01:00:44