Hello and welcome to Background Briefing, available 24-7 at background briefing. I'm Ian Masters,

and today we'll look into a number of stories and issues in the news.

We'll begin with the strategic analysis of the likely moves by Iran and Israel,

with a looming war between them inevitable, leaving how much it will escalate the only question.

We'll discuss a third option, which is for Iran to continue the standoff,

which is causing Israel great economic pain with the northern part of the country depopulated.

Joining us is Nicholas Harris, Senior Director for Strategy and Innovation at the New Lions Institute, who from 2016 to 2017 served as the 10th First Lieutenant Andrew J. Vesabas Jr. USA Fellow at the Center for New American Security.

He has conducted an extensive study on Iran's proxies in the Middle East for the National Defense University.

Then we'll examine Kamala Harris's and Donald Trump's competing tax proposals on tips, which are aimed at winning the swing state of Nevada, in which workers in the hotel casino and

restaurant industries depend on tips since the Federal Labor Standards Act permits employers

to pay the sub-minimum tip credit paltry wage of $2.13 an hour.

Joining us is John Lawrence, a visiting professor at the University of California-Washington

Center, who worked in the House of Representatives for 38 years and served as House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi's Chief of Staff for eight years.

His latest book is Ark of Power inside Nancy Pelosi's speakership 2005 to 2010,

and he blogs at Domocracy, where his latest article is A Tip to the Wise.

Then finally, with Ukraine taking Russian territory,

we will assess Russia's long game that counters the current optimism of a Ukrainian victory

and speak with Anastasia Idel, a Russian-born American writer and social historian.

She's the author of Russia, Putin's playground, empire, revolution, and the new Tsar.

And she currently is at work on a new book, The Gone Empire. And we'll discuss her article

at the New York Times, Putin has victory in his grasp. And before we begin, as we count down

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