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 with Trump's nominee to head the Department of Defense,

who is facing sexual assault charges, which might well be the least of the frightening prospects he poses. Fox News, as Pete Hegseth has called for a national divorce

and believes the 74 million Americans who did not vote for Trump

are what he considers the allied forces of, quote, globalism, socialism, secularism,

environmentalism, Islamism, genderism, and leftism, which have to be defeated,

while, quote, the military and police, both bastions of freedom-loving patriots,

will be forced to make a choice. It will not be good. Yes, there will be some form of civil war.

Joining us to discuss House Hegeseth appears more than willing to use the military to round up

immigrants and Trump's enemies of the people

is Tom McItis, a professor of history at DePaul University, where he teaches courses

in British, modern European and military history. His research and writing covers international

security, terrorism, unconventional conflict, and military history, and he has taught counterterrorism courses at

venues around the world as part of the United States Department of Defense Counterterrorism

Fellowship Program, and is the author of six books including new terrorism, myths and reality,

violent extremists understanding the domestic and international terrorist threat, and Iraq

and the challenges of counterinsurgency.

A regular contributor to the Hill, we'll discuss his latest article.

A politicized military would be the founder's nightmare come true.

Then we'll look into the arrests of military coup plotters in Brazil,

who planned to kill President Lula in a conspiracy involving Trump's

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