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 with the latest dump of the Epstein files and examine the recent interview in Vanity Fair with the White House Chief of Staff that expose the inner workings at the top of the American government as a collection of misfits and miscreants, incompetence, zealots and disturbed individuals

led by an ego-maniacal narcissist with an alcoholic's personality.

Joining us is Sidney Blumenthal, the former assistant and senior advisor to President Bill Clinton,

and senior advisor to Hillary Clinton. He has been a national staff reporter for the

Washington Post, Washington editor and staff writer for the New Yorker, and his books include

the bestsellers, the Clinton Wars, the rise of the counter-establishment, and the permanent

campaign. His latest book is All the Powers on Earth, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln,

1856 to 1860. He is the co-host of the podcast, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, 1856 to 1860.

He's the co-host of the podcast, The Court of History, and we'll discuss his latest article

at The Guardian, is Susie Wiles an innocent bystander in Trump's White House?

Then we'll speak with a reporter whose video of a West Bank settler beating and almost killing

an unarmed 53-year-old Palestinian woman went viral and led to the rare arrest of a 21-year-old

messianic zealot and member of what is called the Hilltop Youth.

Joining us is Jasper Nathaniel, a Brooklyn-based writer and reporter covering politics, culture, and international affairs.

He covers Israel's occupation of the West Bank and publishes weekly analysis on Israel-Palestine

through his sub-stack newsletter, Infinite Jazz, where he has an article we will discuss inside the machine of annexation.

And before we begin, as this year ends, and you can make tax-deductible donations for 2025, I'm hoping you consider backgroundbriefing.org slash donate and publictruthmedia.org

for your charitable giving since we produce a daily news analysis program covering the major

stories in the news five days a week on a very modest budget and have recently expanded our

production team from two people, that's me and Graham, to five employees as we expand our social media presence and have a new Gen Zee reporter to engage the future generation in a coalition of boomers and zoomers out to make America decent and sane again and the world a better place for all. So happy holidays to you and

the very best in the new year as we expand our fact-based community in Post-Truth America.

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