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 the Washington Post poll that finds more Americans in key swing states think Trump is better for democracy than Biden and try to explain this Orwellian disconnect

by exploring the influence of right-wing local media in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

We will focus in particular on Sinclair Broadcast Group,

which operates 185 local television stations in 86 markets,

pumping out right-wing propaganda on local news,

which a majority of Americans trust,

many under the imprimpenter of CBS ABC and NBC

affiliates. Joining us is Aaron Rupar, an independent journalist covering U.S. politics and media.

He's the author of Public Notice at AaronRipar.substack.com, where his latest articles include

how right-wing media is legitimizing a nonsensical

and non-existent lawsuit, and Sinclair injects deceptive attacks on Biden's age into dozens of

local broadcasts. Then we'll speak with John Gantz, who writes the widely acclaimed

unpopular front newsletter for Substak. We'll discuss his

latest book, Just Out, When the Clock Broke, Conmen, Conspiracists and How America Cracked Up in

the early 1990s to understand the history of how we arrived at a moment where a reality TV

right-wing populist captured one of America's two major political parties.

Then finally, just ahead of the first presidential debate,

we will speak with Thomas Zytsoff, a professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University.

His research focuses on political violence, social media, and political psychology, and he's the author

of Nasty Politics, The Logic of Insults, Threats and Incitement. We'll discuss how Trump's

handlers are trying to restrain their candidate from indulging in his signature nasty politics,

...