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 a second member of the squad of Progressive Democrats in the House

who have been primaried by APAC with money from Republican billionaires.

This time in Missouri yesterday, where Cory Bush lost her seat to Wesley Bell,

in the Democratic primary, where $10 million was spent to unseat her

after $15 million was spent by APAC to unseat Jamal Bowman. Joining us is Clarissa Hayward, a political

theorist at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, whose research and teaching focus on

questions central to understanding

and evaluating political life. She's the author of Justice and the American Metropolis,

and the latest book is How Americans Make Race, Stories, Institutions, Spaces.

Then we'll examine the extent to which the Democrats have learned their lesson playing it safe with vice-presidential picks like hillary clinton's choice of tim kane with camilla harris having shown boldness in her pick of tim

joining us is moira donigan writer in residence at the clayman institute for gender research at stamford university She is a columnist at The Guardian, and we will discuss her latest article.

Kamala Harris's VP pick may signal a shift away from pivoting to the center.

Then finally we'll look into the tinderbox in the Middle East with all of the countries involved not wanting war,

as Israel's Netanyahu and

Iran's Ayatollah Hamani head for a promised showdown in which Lebanon and Syria will be collateral

damage. Joining us is Joshua Landis, who is the director of the Center for Middle East Studies

at the University of Oklahoma, and a fellow at the Quincy Institute.

He writes Syria Comment, a daily newsletter and blog on Syrian politics.

And before we begin, as we count down to America's most fateful election,

which will decide if we keep our democracy or lose it,

...