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Background Briefing with Ian Masters

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

news & politics social sciences

All Episodes

01:01:06

April 22, 2026 - Harrison Mann | Jacob Heilbrunn |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/04/22

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 Supplybackgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

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01:00:19

April 21, 2026 - Jonathan Guyer | Stephen Marche |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/04/21

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

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01:01:17

April 20, 2026 - Nader Hashemi | Stephen Kinzer |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/04/20

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

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01:04:26

April 19, 2026 - Juan Cole | Thanassis Cambanis |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/04/19

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

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01:00:39

April 16, 2026 - Habib Battah | Basav Sen | Lindsay...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/04/16

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

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01:00:43

April 14, 2026 - Daniel Immerwahr | Jamie Martin |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/04/14

The Trump Administration's Explanation of Why We Are At War With Iran..."We're America Bitches" | The History of Blockades and Their Impact on Global Trade | The State of Opposition Movements Against Iran's Brutal Theocracy backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

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01:00:14

April 13, 2026 - Robert Pape | James Carroll

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/04/13

The Escalation Trap Trump Set For Himself Deepens With the Naval Blockade and a Possible Use of a Nuclear Weapon on Esfahan | Trump Depicts Himself As Jesus While Disrespecting the Pope and 1.4 Billion Catholics backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

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01:00:12

April 9, 2026 - Hussein Banai | Anthea Butler | James...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/04/09

In Desperation, Our Self-Serving and Imbecilic President Has Strengthened a Brutal Regime and Elevated Its Global Position | Will America's Defeat Liberate It From a Broken Imperial Model? | The Pentagon and Trump's War on Pope Leo

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01:01:40

April 2, 2026 - Corey Brettschneider | Kian Tajbakhsh...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/04/02

In Three Weeks Trump Will Declare Victory Without Securing a Victory, Leaving Someone Else to Open the Strait of Hormuz | How Do Iranians Feel About Trump Bombing Them "Back to the Stone Age Where They Belong"? | With Trump in the Front Row, the Supreme Court's Right Wing Justices Express Skepticism of Overturning Birthright Citizenshipbackgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

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01:00:12

March 31, 2026 - Robert Kuttner | Jon Hoffman |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/31

Trump Will Either Double Down or Cut and Run Leaving Us, Our Allies and the Iranian People So Much Worse Off | Trump's Strategic Failure In Iran | Trump's War is Holding Him Hostagebackgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

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01:01:22

March 30, 2026 - Stephen Biddle | Dean Baker |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/30

The Strategic and Moral Danger of Having Adolescent Bullies Running an Ill-considered War of Choice | An Assessment of the Damage Being Done to the US and Global Economy | In Stripping Birthright Citizenship, Trump and Miller Want to Create and Exploitable Class on Non-Citizens backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

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00:58:09

March 24, 2026 - Ori Goldberg | Nina Burleigh

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/24

Life in Bomb Shelters Under Bombardment in a War 90% of Israelis Support | An Update on the Story Trump Has Waged a War to Distract Us From backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

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01:01:55

March 23, 2026 - Asher Kaufman | Sarah Leah Whitson...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/23

TACO Trump Now Claims Peace is at Hand But Iran Says No Such Talks Are Taking Place | Crying Foul Over Cluster Bombs as Civilians Are Targeted | Oil Companies and Refiners Are Making Out Like Bandits With California Refiners Gouging a $1.50 Profit Per Gallon at the Pump backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

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01:04:14

March 22, 2026 - Robert Young Pelton | Olga Lautman |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/22

Contradictory Signals From Trump to Wind Down the War While Sending in More Marines | The Winner of the Iran War Putin Prepares For a Spring Offensive in Ukraine While His Bootlicking Friend Trump Rewards Him With Extra Revenue | Celebrating the Iranian New Year Under Bombardment From Abroad and Repression at Homebackgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

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01:01:36

March 18, 2026 - David Adler | Steven Simon

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/18

The Organizer of an International Humanitarian Flotilla Delivering Aid to the Desperate and Starving People of Cuba | Possible Scenarios to End the US/Israeli War on Iran and a More Likely Escalation of Attacks on Oil and Gas Terminals and Storage Facilities backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

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00:59:57

March 15, 2026 - Emma Ashford | Dr. Allen Frances |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/15

Trump's War of Choice Rattles Allies While Rewarding Russia | Our Commander-in-Chief is a Senile Old Man Who is Losing His Mind | Trump's Cynical SAVE America Act Will Not Save Republicans in Novemberbackgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

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01:01:00

March 12, 2026 - William LeoGrande | Mike Lofgren |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/12

After Declaring Victory Over Iran, Trump Vows That Cuba Is Next | What Can Be Done To Reign In If Not Abolish DHS | AI's Sweeping and Growing Impact on Every Aspect of Society backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

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01:03:13

March 11, 2026 - Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse | Jonathan...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/11

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on Trump, Epstein and Putin | The Silicon Valley Billionaire Bros Are Determined to Have the Tech-Industrial Complex Replace the Military-Industrial Complex | The Iran War and the Return of the Neoconsbackgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

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01:01:19

March 10, 2026 - Jonathan Guyer | Dr. Annelle Sheline...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/10

Trump Reverses Himself on Ending the Iran War After A Call With Putin | Iran's New Supreme Leader Will Likely Reverse His Father's Fatwa Against Nuclear Weapons | A Military Analysis of the Iran War and the Russia/Ukraine War backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

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01:04:06

March 9, 2026 - Nicholas Heras | Kian Tajbakhsh |...

Background Briefing with Ian Masters ·

2026/03/09

A War Iran Only Has to Stay in While We Can Only Win At a Price We Are Unlikely to Want to Pay | An Analysis of a Brutal Regime From Which the Iranian People Desperately Want to be Freed But Have No Power to Do So | A Lawless World Trump is Dragging Us Into Based on Force and His Whims backgroundbriefing.org/donate x.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

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281 results

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