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

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

We'll begin with another school shooting in Georgia today and assess the chances that Kamala Harris and Tim Wals can win this critical state,

which along with Pennsylvania are essential if they are to get the 270 electoral votes needed

to win the presidency, regardless of how much Harris

might win the popular vote by.

We'll discuss how a progressive democratic ticket can win in such a conservative country, that

is almost half of the vote is supporting a disastrously unqualified Trump for a second chance to further wreck the country and end American

democracy. Joining us is Robert Kramer, a longtime political organizer and strategist, an author of

Stand Up Straight, How Progressives Can Win. He is a partner in Democracy Partners, a senior

strategist for Americans United for Change,

and his latest book is Nuts and Bolts, the formula for progressive electoral success.

Then we'll examine how much the Middle East is a powder keg, as the arsonist Netanyahu appears

determined to prolong the war in Gaza while ramping up attacks in the West Bank

that could provoke an uprising in Jordan, which has a majority Palestinian population and a weak

government. Joining us is David Hurst, the editor of Middle East Eye, who formerly was the chief

foreign leader-writer of The Guardian, its former associate

foreign editor, European editor, Moscow Bureau chief, European correspondent, and Ireland correspondent.

We'll discuss his article at the Middle East Eye, Biden, Harris, and the brutal truth

of dead hostages in Gaza.

Then finally we'll look into the new top secret nuclear strategy the Biden administration is embarking on to confront a coordinated threat from China, Russia and North Korea simultaneously.

Joining us is Tom Kalina, who until recently was the director of policy at the Plow Shares Fund,

...