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 an analysis of Trump's announced first details later, trade deal with the

EU, he proclaimed at his golf course in Scotland, which critics see as an attempt to distract

from the Epstein story. Joining us is Robert Cutner, the co-founder and co-editor of the American prospect,

and the Ida and Meyer Kirstein Chair at Brandeis University.

He was formerly an assistant to the legendary I.F. Stone, chief investigator for

the Senate Banking Committee, and for 20 years wrote a column at Business Week.

His books include Can Democracy

Survive Global Capitalism and Going Big, FDR's legacy, Biden's New Deal and the struggle

to save democracy, and we'll discuss these articles at the American Prospect, a closer look at

Trump's EU trade deal and Air FAS1, when gift becomes grift.

Then with Russia's former president and Prime Minister warning that Trump's reduction of his

ultimatum to Putin to enter into peace talks with Ukraine from 50 days down to 10 or 12 days

is a step towards war, we will speak with Daniel Treasman, Director of the Center for European and Russian Studies

and a professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles,

a leading specialist on the politics and economics of post-communist Russia.

He's the author of a number of books on Russia, including The New Autocracy, Information, Politics and Policy in Putin's Russia. He's the author of a number of books on Russia, including the new autocracy,

Information, Politics and Policy in Putin's Russia, and Spin Dictators, the Changing Face of

Tyranny in the 21st century. Then finally, we will look into the two-faced rebuke of Netanyahu

from Trump, who acknowledged the reality that children are starving in Gaza,

along with the reward coming from the Trump administration's approval of an Israeli plan

...