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

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

We'll begin with the frightening pace at which the United States is embracing authoritarianism

after 76 million Americans made a suicide pact with Trump,

voting to end the world's oldest and most enduring democracy,

and handing over the country's future to a carnival-b man and wannabe mob boss who is replacing competence with loyalty while inviting in an era of unbridled corruption.

Joining us is Nicholas Grossman, a senior editor at Arc Digital and a professor of political science at the University of Illinois.

He's the author of drones and terrorism, asymmetrical warfare, and the threat to global security.

Then, with Trump announcing today that beginning on March the 12th, he will levy a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminum from Canada, which is the top exporter of both metals

vital to the U.S. automobile construction and other industries. Joining us to assess why it is

Trump's priority to attack America's closest allies while cozing up to its enemies like Putin

is Lucan Way, a distinguished professor of democracy

in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

His books include competitive authoritarianism, hybrid regimes after the Cold War,

and Revolution and Dictators dictatorship, the violent origins of durable

authoritarianism, co-authored with Stephen Levitsky. He and Steve Levitsky also have an article

at Foreign Affairs. We will discuss the path to American authoritarianism, what comes after

democratic breakdown. And before we begin in this new year of 2025,

with half of the country hoping for the best,

as the other half expects the worst,

I'm constantly asked how do we survive four more ruinous years

of a corrupt sociopath deliberately endangering our children and grandchildren

...