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 historical assessment of how the major political parties have become hollow shells locked in a

polarized struggle for power, with personalities dominating our politics rather than parties and

platforms. With increasing talk of the Democrats having an open convention in Chicago on August

the 19th, could there be a return of the smoke-filled back room choosing a presidential candidate

rather than the primaries? Joining us is Sam Rosenfeld, a professor of political science at Colgate

University, specializing in party politics and American political development.

His research interests include the history of political parties, the intersection of social movements and formal politics,

and the politics of social and economic policymaking.

He's the author of The Polarizers, Post-War Architects of Our Partisan era, and co-author with Daniel Schlossmann

of the new book, The Hollow Parties, The Many Pasts and Disordered Present of American Party

politics. And we will discuss the challenges facing Biden, who is framing the choice between

the sociopathic liar Trump and him, the truth-teller,

even though it seems the White House is less than truthful about the president's fitness to serve another four years.

Then we'll look into the conviction of former Trump aide and business partner Felix Sater

for money laundering and investigate how the

Moscow-born dealmaker, whose father was the right hand of the godfather of Russian organized crime,

Simeon Mugalevich, helped a Kazakh kleptocrat laundered millions into U.S. real estate,

including Trump-Soho Tower, and later, when Trump was in the White House,

brokered a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Joining us is James Henry, an economist, lawyer, and investigative journalist who has written

extensively about global banking, debt crises, tax havens, and economic development.

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