Hello and welcome to Background Briefing, available 24-7 at background briefing. I'm Ian Masters,

and today we'll examine a number of stories and issues in the news.

We'll begin ahead of President Biden's State of the Union address tonight

with an analysis of what might be said, what needs to be said, and what we know will be

said, and speak with a democratic political strategist who has a track record of uncanny accuracy

when it comes to political predictions.

Joining us is Simon Rosenberg, a veteran political analyst, strategist and commentator,

the former president and founder of the New Democrat Network, a leading progressive think-tag

and advocacy organization. He previously was a writer and producer at ABC News for five years before working

on the Dukakis and Clinton presidential campaigns where he was a member of the 1992 Clinton

War Room. And he has a new blog on Substack at Hopium Chronicles. Then we'll assess whether

Biden can take the gloves off and confront the MAGA Republicans of the

House pro-Putin caucus holding up aid for Ukraine while we are just learning that Russian propagandists

are setting up fake newspapers across the country to propagate pro-Trump election disinformation.

Joining us is Anne Nelson, an author and lecturer in the fields of international affairs,

media and human rights, who was the first director of the international program at the

Columbia School of Journalism, where she created the first curriculum in human rights reporting.

Her books include Red Orchestra, the Berlin Underground and the Circle of Friends

who resisted Hitler, and Shadow Network, Media, Underground and the Circle of Friends who resisted Hitler,

and Shadow Network, Media, Money and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right,

now out in an updated paperback version.

Starting on March of the 9th, the new film Bad Faith, Christian Nationalism's War on Democracy,

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