Day: September 2, 2026

The Journey From Right To Left By the Famous Political Thinker on the Triumph of Liberal Capitalist Democracy in “The End Of History”

We begin with the journey from right to left by a famous political thinker who 37 years ago declared the triumph of liberal capitalist democracy in “The End of History.” Joining us is Jacob Heilbrunn, the Editor at the National Interest and a non-resident senior fellow at The Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and a columnist for The Spectator. His books include They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons and America Last: The Right’s Century-Long Romance with Foreign Dictators. He is also editor-at-large of The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune and he has an article at The Washington Monthly we discuss, “The Last Man Comes Full Circle.”

As Fewer Young Americans Enter Higher Education, the Best and Most Affordable Colleges

Then, with fewer young Americans pursuing higher education this year, we assess which are the best and most affordable colleges and speak with Paul Glastris, the editor in chief of The Washington Monthly who spent ten years as a correspondent and editor at U.S. News & World Report. From September 1998 to January, 2001, he was a special assistant and senior speechwriter to President Bill Clinton and he is the author of The Other College Guide: A Roadmap to the Right School for You. We discuss his article at The Washington Monthly, “The 2026 30 Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars.”

Trump sends Black and Brown Deportees to be Jailed or Killed Along With Russians, While Doubling Payments to White South African Racists Claiming to be Refugees 

Then finally with the Trump administration deporting black and brown people likely to be jailed or killed by the governments they fled from at the same time doubling cash payments to white South African racists claiming to be refugees, just this week, Afghans, Iranians, and others were sent to the Central African Republic, a war torn state that the Department of State warns Americans not to visit. The Trump administration has not only escalated attacks on asylum seekers and those with protective status, deporting people from Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba, it has denied more asylum claims by Russians who claim they will be imprisoned, tortured, or conscripted to fight and die in Ukraine as well as deporting dissidents, LGBTQ people, and members of the free media. This as Germany accuses Russia of a brazen drone attack on Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig airport and threats of reprisals against the UK for supplying Ukraine with British missiles, an obvious double standard given Russia’s deployment of 50,000 North Korean troops to fill its depleting ranks. Meanwhile Trump is refusing to help Ukraine while giving Putin’s bodies for his meat grinder at a time he is losing his war against Iran, prompting the Secretary of the Army to warn Trump of Hegseth’s idiocy in ending a drone program with Ukraine along with his gutting of the ranks of the top experienced officers in the U.S. military. But Trump wasn’t listening and only wanted to talk about his ballroom so Dan Driscoll quit in disgust. Background Briefing’s guest host Anna Leah speaks with Ilya Somin, a Professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School and a chair of Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute. He is the author of four books about the size of government, property and Constitutional law, and migration – most recently, Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom. In his legal career, he led a challenge of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs and has testified before Congress and his writings have been cited by the US Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Israel, and many U.S. lower courts.