Background Briefing: December 1, 2025
Trump and His Team Meet on Going to War Against Venezuela
We begin with today’s White House meeting on going to war against Venezuela following Trump’s recent call with Maduro who apparently agreed to step down with conditions that Trump was not prepared to grant, thus making a military strike against the regime likely unless Trump will allow his bluff to be called by Venezuela’s strongman which would make our strongman look weak. Joining us is Alejandro Velasco, Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs and Associate Professor at New York University. A historian of modern Latin America focusing on social movements, urban culture and democratization, he is the author of Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of Modern Venezuela.
With the House Back in Session, the Fate of Affordable Healthcare Hangs by a Thread
Then with the House back in session as the fate of the Affordable Care Act hangs in the balance and Republicans try to pretend they have an alternative to a program they have obsessively and repeatedly tried to kill since its inception, we discuss whether the public will fall for cosmetic makeovers and empty promises as 24 million Americans lose affordable healthcare while the rest face increasingly costly premiums. Joining us is Alex Lawson, the Executive Director of Social Security Works where his work focuses on protecting and expanding Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and lowering prescription drug prices. We discuss his article at Common Dreams, “The Republican Health Care Apocalypse.”
How Much is Melania Mentioned in the Epstein Files Trump is Trying to Suppress?
Then finally we speak with Sidney Blumenthal, the former assistant and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, and senior adviser to Hillary Clinton. He has been a national staff reporter for The Washington Post, Washington editor and staff writer for The New Yorker and his books include the bestsellers The Clinton Wars, The Rise of the Counter-Establishment and The Permanent Campaign. His latest book is All the Powers on Earth, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln 1856-1860, and we discuss his latest article at The New Republic, “The Mar-a-Lago Party That Future Historians Will Never Forget” and how much Melania is mentioned in the Epstein files as Trump fights to prevent their release.