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 two possible scenarios of what Trump is about to do to end his war on Iran,

with one sending in the Marines and digging the whole deeper, or two,

cutting and running, allowing Iran to set up a toll booth on the Strait of Amuz,

and abandoning allies, leaving the Iranian people under the yoke of an even more repressive government with Russia and China, the only winners.

Joining us is Robert Kutner, the co-founder and co-editor of the American Prospect, and the Ida and Myers Kirsteen Chair at Brandeis University.

He was formerly an assistant to the legendary

I have Stone, a chief investigator for the Senate Banking Committee, and for 20 years wrote a column

at Business Week. His books include Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism and Going Big,

FDR's legacy, Biden's New Deal and the struggle to save democracy, and he has an article at the American

prospect we will discuss Trump's delusional escalation in Iran, and his new memoir just out is

Notes for Next Time, Surviving Tyranny, Redeeming America.

Then we'll speak with John Hoffman, a policy analyst in defense and foreign policy at the

Cato Institute, and a professor at George Mason University specializing in Middle East geopolitics

and political Islam. He was recently awarded the 40 Under 40 Award from the Middle East Policy Council

for his work on U.S. foreign policy in the region, and his work has been featured in

Middle East Policy, Open Democracy, the Cipher Brief and Foreign Policy magazine. And he has an article

at the Kato Institute. We will discuss a strategic failure in Iran. Then finally, we'll speak with

Cindy Blumenthal, the former assistant and senior advisor to President Bill Clinton

and senior advisor to Hillary Clinton. He has been a national staff reporter for the Washington Post,

Washington editor and staff writer for the New Yorker, and his books include the bestsellers,

the Clinton Wars, The Rise of the Counter-Establishment, and the Permanent Campaign. His latest book is All the Powers on Earth, The Political Life of Abraham, Lincoln, 1856 to 1860,

...