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

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

We'll begin with a letter from top military and state department officials to President Biden, urging him to come up with a strategy for Ukraine to win rather than give opponents

like Trump and Speaker Johnson an excuse not to support Ukraine.

We will discuss Ukraine's incursion into Russia, causing a postponement

of talks between Russia and Ukraine on a deal for Russia to stop attacking Ukraine's electrical

grid in exchange for Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries and depots.

Joining us is Michael Kimmage, a professor of history and department chair at the Catholic

University of America, chair of the Kennan Institute Advisory Council and a fellow at the German

Marshall Fund. From 2014 to 2017, he served on the Secretary of State's policy planning staff

at the U.S. Department of State, where he held the Russia-Ukraine portfolio.

He's the author of The Abandonment of the West, the History of an Idea in American Foreign Policy,

and Collisions, the War in Ukraine and the Origins of the New Global Instability.

Then we'll look into concerns the Saudi leader, Muhammad bin Salman,

has expressed to members of Congress that he could be assassinated like Anwar Sadat was by Islamic radicals furious at his attempts to make the Abraham Accords alliance with Israel as it kills Palestinians in Gaza.

Joining us is Sarah Lee Whitson, the Executive Director of Democracy for the Arab World

Now Dawn, who was formerly the Executive Director of Human Rights Watchers, Middle

Eastern North Africa Division, where she oversaw 19 countries with staffs allocated in 10

countries.

We'll discuss her latest article at Responsible Statecraft, Biden's new weapons deal

with Saudi Arabia's Prince Bonesaw. Then finally we'll get an assessment of Vice President

Harris's just announced economic plan and speak with Dean Baker, senior economist and co-founder

...