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

I'm Ian Masters, and today we'll look into a number of stories and issues in the news.

We'll begin with the rambling Trump Netanyahu press conference today at the White House,

at which the press were not allowed to ask questions that Trump began by describing today

as, quote, one of the great days ever in civilization, before droning on endlessly,

praising himself for a peace deal that is yet to happen, which he said would, quote, bring internal peace to the Middle East.

Joining us is Dr. Gai Zir, a professor at the Department of Foreign Policy at American

University School of International Service, and associate director of the Meltzer

Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies, where he teaches courses on U.S.-Israel relations and Israeli

Palestinian peacemaking.

He has worked in the United States Department of State on Capitol Hill and for leading

non-profit organizations that promote American involvement in Israeli-Palestinian

peacemaking. And is the author of Why Hawks Become Doves, Shimon Peres, and Foreign Policy Change in

Israel. His latest book is Netanyahu versus the generals, The Battle for Israel's Future.

Then we'll examine the challenge for the Democrats to avoid getting blamed for a

government shutdown about to begin tomorrow night at midnight after a last ditch meeting today

at the White House, which Trump has made clear, is not likely to result in compromise because

the Democrats are such bad people with bad ideas.

Joining us is James Thurber, the University Distinguished Professor of Government and founder

and former director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American

University, Washington, D.C. He's the author of numerous books and more than 80 articles

and chapters on Congress, interest groups and lobbying,

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