Hello and welcome to Background Briefing,

develop at 247 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 on this 4th of July and go to London to speak with Sarah Churchill,

a professor of American literature and humanities at the School of Advanced Study of the University of London. She's the author of Behold America, the Entangled History of America First,

and The American Dream, and her latest book is The Roth to

Come, Gone with the Wind and the Lies America Tells. We'll discuss how much of the rest of the world

sees American democracy hanging by a thread with President Biden standing between the survival

of global democracy and the rule of law and dictatorship.

Meanwhile, Trump and a pantheon of fascist wannabes in France and across Europe

and the world are at the gates of power, jutting out their chins like Mussolini

with America's Orange Duce leading the pack.

Then we'll examine the possibility of the Democrats with or without Biden

running against the Supreme Court in the upcoming election

and the problem posed by Biden stepping down soon,

even if he could be convinced to do so,

because he would be making himself a lame duck,

paralyzing his presidency.

Joining us to discuss the increasing chorus from vulnerable Democrats in the House and Senate

who see Biden's coattails vanishing is Lawrence Douglas, the James Grosfeld Chair in Law,

jurisprudence and Social Thought at Amos College and a contributing opinion writer

for The Guardian. His latest book is Will He Go, Trump and the looming electoral meltdown in 2020,

and we will discuss his forthcoming article at The Guardian, Scotas hands Trump a carte blanche

...