Hello and welcome to Background Briefing available 24-7 at Background Briefing.org.

I'm Ian Masters, and today we'll look into a number of stories and issues in the news.

We'll begin with an assessment of the turnaround in the political opposition

as the Democrats start to fight back spurred on by a growing grassroots revolt against Trump

and Musk's nihilism as they slash and burn the American government, our institutions, and our democracy.

Joining us at Jeremy Surrey, who holds the Mac Brown Distinguished Chair of Fort American government, our institutions, and our democracy.

Joining us is Jeremy Surrey, who holds the Mac Brown Distinguished Chair of Full Leadership

in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is a professor of history

and public affairs.

He's the co-host of the podcast, This is Democracy, and the author and editor of a number

of books, including The Impossible

Presidency, the Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office, Henry Kissinger and the American

Century, and most recently Civil War by other means, America's long and unfinished fight for

democracy. And we will discuss his article at his substack, a hopeful week for our democracy.

Then we'll examine Trump's Liberation Day tariffs issued yesterday after the markets closed

amid a blizzard of lies from the Rose Garden, causing the markets today to tank as friendly

nations are hit hard while countries like Russia were spared.

Joining us is Sarang Shidori, director of the Global South Program at the Quincy Institute

and an adjunct faculty at George Washington University where he teaches a class on the geopolitics

of climate change.

His focus areas are geopolitical risk, grand strategy, trade and climate security, with a special emphasis on Asia and the global South.

Then, as Trump, who claims to want to bring back innovation and entrepreneurialism to make America great again,

...