Hello and welcome to Background Briefing, available 24-7 at background briefing.

I'm me and Masters, and today we'll examine a number of stories and issues in the news.

We'll begin with the grassroots opposition movement forming as Senator Bernie Sanders

travels the country with overflowing town halls in an effort to catch up to the damage being

done by Musk and Trump in the absence of a Democratic Party whose leadership is increasingly

out of step with the

party's alarmed and energized base. Joining us is John Nichols, who is the Nation Magazine's

National Affairs correspondent. His books include The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party,

the enduring legacy of Henry Wallace's anti-fascist anti-racist politics, coronavirus criminals and

pandemic profiteers, and accountability for those who caused the crisis, and his latest book,

co-written with Senator Bernie Sanders, is the New York Times bestseller. It's okay to be angry

about capitalism. Then we'll look into the damage being done to American education

that was lagging before Musk and Trump's Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, gutted the

department ahead of abolishing it. Joining us is Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of the history

of education at the University of Pennsylvania, a former Peace Corps volunteer and high school teacher, Zimmerman, a professor of the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania,

a former Peace Corps volunteer and high school teacher,

Zimmerman is the author of a number of books including Who's America,

Culture Wars in the Public Schools, and most recently Free Speech and Why You Should Give a Dam.

Then finally we'll assess whether the bombing of the Houthis is an effort by the Trump

administration to force Iran to the negotiating table so that Trump can pull off a, quote,

peace deal that delivers him a Nobel Peace Prize, putting Obama's P5 plus one deal to shame.

Joining us is now to Hashemi, the director of the Al-Aweid Center for Muslim Christian Understanding

...