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 and go to Chicago to get an update on the pro-Palestinian demonstrations

ahead of Biden's speech on the first night of the Democratic Convention and speak with

David Farris, a professor of political science at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

A regular contributor to Slate, The Week and Newsweek.

He's the author of Time to Fight Dirty, How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics,

and most recently, The Kids Are All Left, How Young Voters Will Unite America.

We will discuss his latest article at Slate. Kamala Harris has

transformed the race to control Congress. Then, with a presidential speechwriter, we will examine

the delicate job of writing speeches for a sitting president who is passing the baton to his

vice president as only Eisenhower, Reagan and Clinton have done before tonight when Joe Biden will speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Joining us is Paul Glastris, the editor-in-chief of the Washington Monthly, who was a special assistant and senior speechwriter to President Bill Clinton,

and wrote over 200 speeches for the President

on subjects ranging from education to health care to the budget.

We'll discuss his latest article at the Washington Monthly,

how will Biden pass the baton at the Democratic Convention?

Then finally, as bombs and missiles continue to fall on Gaza and Ukraine,

we are looking to how much the arms industries are benefiting from these tragedies

and speak with Rona Mickey, the director of projects and planning at Shadow World Investigations,

and a co-founder of the corruption tracker.

She was listed as an emerging expert by the forum on the arms trade in 2022

...