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

I'm Ian Masters, and today we'll examine a number of stories and issues in the

news. We'll begin with two top House Republicans, Mike Turner, the chair of the House Intelligence

Committee, and Michael McCall, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, both expressing

concern that Russian propaganda has found a foothold amongst fellow Republicans and has,

quote, infected a good chunk of my party's base, according to McCall. Joining us as an expert on propaganda, Renee Hobbs,

an internationally recognized authority on media literacy education. She has worked to advance

the quality of digital and media literacy education in the United States and around the world,

and is the founder and director of the Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island,

whose mission it is to improve the quality of media literacy education through research and community service.

Then we'll assess the mental deterioration of the propagandist

in chief, Donald Trump, and speak with Dr. Alan Francis, a professor emeritus and former

chair of psychiatry and behavioral science at Duke University. He's the author of the award-winning

international bestseller, Saving Normal and the reference work essentials of psychiatric diagnosis,

and his latest book is Twilight of American Sanity, a psychiatrist analyzes the age of Trump,

now out in an updated paperback version. Then finally we look into the Biden administration's effort

to get around the Supreme Court's blockage of debt relief for students with a plan

B announced today. Joining us to discuss the $1.7 trillion debt burden holding back the lives

and futures of millions of Americans is Kevin Carey, the Vice President for Education Policy

at the New America Foundation, where he also directs their

education policy program. Previously, he worked as the policy director for education sector

and as an analyst at the Education Trust and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

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