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

and today we're looking into a number of stories and issues in the news. We'll begin with today's expected announcement from President Solensky's office that the head of Ukraine's military will be replaced,

which coincides with a Senate vote of 67 to 32 to advance a standalone bill with aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, which faces an uncertain vote in the House.

Joining us to discuss the former comedian-turned wartime leader

and the stark difference between the open and transparent nature of Ukrainian politics

compared with the dictatorship behind the Kremlin walls,

which just cancelled the token opposition candidate

because he was gaining popularity, is Simon Schuster, a reporter for Time magazine based in New York City

by way of Moscow, Kiev and Berlin. He has previously covered Russia and the former Soviet Union for Reuters,

the Associated Press, the Moscow Times and foreign policy,

and his latest book Just Out is The Showman,

Inside the Invasion that shook the world and made a leader of Vladimir Zelensky.

We will discuss his latest article at Time magazine.

This is the way out, inside Ukraine's plan to arm itself.

Then with the Supreme Court hearing today on Colorado's case to ban Trump from the ballot,

clearly signaling a win for Trump, we'll look ahead at a fact-free violence-prone election ahead

and speak with Rick Pohlstein, the author of the New York Times bestsellers,

The Invisible Bridge, The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan, Nixon Land, the rise of a

president and the fracturing of America, as well as before the storm, Barry Goldwater,

and the unmaking of the American Consensus. And most recently, Reagan Land, America's right turn, 1976 to 1980.

He is currently a contributing editor and board member of In These Times Magazine and also

a contributor to the American prospect, where his latest article is, The Real Threat to

...