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 Trump saying today that we own the skies over Tehran,

implying that the US is operating in tandem with Israel's military

in a war between Israel and Iran that is escalating while US ships and planes head to the region.

Trump is also posting not-so-veiled threats against the Supreme Leader,

telling how many that, quote,

we know exactly where you are, but we are not going to kill you, at least for now.

Joining us is David Hurst, the editor of the Middle East Eye,

who formerly was the Guardian's chief foreign leader,

its former associate foreign editor,

European editor, Moscow Bureau Chief, European Correspondent,

and Ireland correspondent.

We will discuss his article at the Middle East Eye

by allowing Israel to bomb Iran.

Trump is pushing Tehran to go nuclear.

Then we'll speak with a refugee from Trump fascism, who along with her husband,

Timothy Snyder and a colleague at Yale, have moved to Canada.

Joining us is Marci Shaw, a professor of history at Yale University,

who teaches the intellectual history of 20th and 21st century Central and Eastern Europe.

She's the author of Caviar and Ashes, a Warsaw generation's life and death in Marxism,

1918 to 1968, The Taste of Ashes, the afterlife of totalitarianism in Eastern Europe,

...