Hello and welcome to Background Briefing, available 247 at background briefing.

I'm Ian Masters, and today we look into a number of stories and issues in the news.

We begin with a one-two punch against American democracy, with the Supreme Court selling out

the Constitution and the rule of law to reward a lawless Trump for defying court orders,

while the Republican-controlled legislative branch is engaged in the biggest transfer of wealth

from working Americans to the

ultra-rich, selling out their constituents as they rush to give their dear leader his big,

beautiful bill he wants done before July the 4th. Joining us is Corey Brett Schneider, a professor

of political science at Brown University where he teaches constitutional law and politics,

as well as a visiting professor of law at Fordham Law School.

He is the co-host of the podcast, The Oath in the Office, and the author of The Oath and the Office,

a guide to the Constitution for future presidents and decisions and dissents of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,

a selection.

His latest book is The Presidents and the People,

Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens who Fought to Defend it.

Then, as Trump and the Maga Republicans move towards the principal goal of the totalitarian project,

erasing the distinction between civil society and the state.

We'll speak with Mike Lofgren, who spent 28 years working in Congress, the last 16 as a senior analyst on the House and Senate Budget Committees. He's the author of the New York Times

bestseller The Party is Over, How Republicans went crazy, Democrats became useless,

and the middle class got shafted. His latest article at Salon is, America slides into totalitarianism,

and it won't be easy to reverse. Then finally, we'll investigate signs emerging from Iran

that they could quickly resume their nuclear program,

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