Background Briefing: September 25, 2023

 

Trump’s Latest Full-on Fascist Rant to Shut Down Any Media That’s Critical of Him

 We begin with Trump’s latest full-on fascist rant on Truth Social on Sunday against the media, in particular NBC and MSNBC, vowing, “I say up front, openly, proudly, that when I win the presidency of the United States, they and others of the lamestream media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things and events.” Joining us is Anne Nelson, an author and lecturer in the fields of international affairs, media and human rights. As a journalist she covered the conflicts in El Salvador and Guatemala, and won the Livingston Award for best international reporting from the Philippines. She served as the director of the Committee to Protect Journalists and was the director of the international program at the Columbia School of Journalism where she created the first curriculum in human rights reporting. Her books include Red Orchestra: The Berlin Underground and the Circle of Friends Who Resisted Hitler and Suzanne’s Children: A Daring Rescue in Nazi Paris. Her latest book is Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right, now out in an updated paperback version.

 

The Role of the Supreme Court in Helping Sen. Menendez Dodge a Bullet the First Time

Then we examine the damaging evidence against the defiant Senator Menendez who for the second time is facing corruption charges having dodged the first case due to a mistrial in part caused by a Supreme Court decision lowering the bar against political corruption. Joining us is David Dayen, the Executive Editor of the American Prospect. The winner of the Ida and Studs Terkel Prize, he is the author of Fat Cat: The Steve Mnuchin Story, and his latest book is Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power. We discuss his latest article in the American Prospect, “Breaking the Menendez Cycle.”

 

As Thousands Arrive at the Southern Border, Biden Is Under Increasing Pressure From Republicans and Democrats

Then finally we assess the role immigration will play in the upcoming elections as Biden comes under increasing pressure from Republicans and Democrats as thousands per day arrive at the southern border, many from Venezuela where one in four Venezuelans have fled their country since 2015. Joining us is Doris Meissner, former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service under President Bill Clinton and a Senior Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, where she directs the Institute’s U.S. immigration policy work.