Background Briefing: January 28, 2026
Trump Tanks the Dollar After the World Saw a Demented Fool at Davos Rambling Like a Lunatic
We begin with Trump’s destruction of the U.S. economy and in particular the dollar which has fallen 10% since Trump’s return with gold surging up almost 90% since Trump’s second inauguration as the world begins to worry that the person in charge of the United States is that incoherent fool who rambled on like a lunatic at Davos. Joining us is Dean Baker, senior economist and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a progressive economic think-tank based in Washington DC. He is the author of Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer, and writes the popular economics blog, “Beat the Press” where he has an article we discuss, “Doing Well by Doing Good: Dump Your American Stocks.”
The Fight Over State Preemption As Silicon Valley Billionaires Fund a War Chest to Defeat AI Regulation
Then we look into the fight over state preemption of federal AI regulation as the White House AI and crypto czar with the backing of Silicon Valley billionaires puts together a $100 million super PAC to target Democratic candidates who are calling for stricter regulation of AI. Joining us is Brad Carson, Co-Founder and President of Americans for Responsible Innovation and The University of Tulsa’s 21st president. In 2015, President Barack Obama appointed him acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness at the U.S. Department of Defense and, prior to that, he served as the under secretary of the U.S. Army. From 2001 to 2005, Carson served two terms as a U.S. congressman, representing Oklahoma’s 2nd District. He is now launching a Democratic super PAC to elect candidates “committed to defending the public interest against those who aim to buy their way out of sensible AI regulation.”
The Need to Shut Down the Government to Defund ICE Terror
Then finally Sasha Linden Cohen speaks with David Faris, a professor of political science at Roosevelt University in Chicago and a regular contributor to Slate, The Week and Newsweek. He is the author of Dissent and Revolution in a Digital Age: Social Media, Blogging and Activism in Egypt, Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics and, most recently, The Kids Are All Left: How Young Voters Will Unite America. Sasha discusses his latest article at the Nation, “Democrats Need to Shut Down the Government to Defund ICE Terror.”