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 begin with the possibility of a resumption of strikes on Iran,

with Trump threatening Iran on Friday after rejecting their latest peace offer

to, quote, blast the hell out of them, at the same time telling the Congress that, quote,

hostilities that began on February 28, 2026 have terminated.

Joining us to try to make sense of Trump's deadly delusional amateurism is Hussein Benai,

an Iranian-American scholar and professor of international studies at Indiana University,

who teaches Iran's political development as well as U.S. Iran relations.

He's the author of Hidden Liberalism, Burdened Visions of Progress in modern Iran,

and he has a recent article at Foreign Affairs,

America and Israel have different end games in Iran.

Then, as the rest of the world honored workers on May Day, while thousands demonstrated at

3,500 Mayday strong events across the country, we will look into the rise of left-wing

populism after a devastating era of right-wing populism perpetrated by a criminal fraudster

in the service of a greedy oligarchy.

Joining us is Charles Derbber, a professor of sociology at Boston College,

a lifelong social justice activist. His work focuses on the crises of capitalism,

globalization, corporate power, militarism, the culture of hegemony,

the climate crisis, and peace and global justice movements. His recent books include Dying for Capitalism, the culture of hegemony, the climate crisis, and peace and global justice movements.

His recent books include Dying for Capitalism, How Big Money Fuels Extinction and What We Can Do About

How We Win, Enigizing Strategies, Voters and Agendas, and Bonfire, American Sociicide,

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