Day: July 18, 2021

Background Briefing: July 18, 2021

 

How the Generals Saved us From a Wannabe Dictator

We begin as more and more information comes out in books about what went on in the Oval Office during Trump’s ruinous four years in office, with how the generals saved America from a dangerous, divisive and demented civilian government. Joining us is Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, the former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell to discuss how close we came to an insurrection on January the 6th which proved there is no such thing as a “deep state” otherwise it would not have happened. But nevertheless Generals Milley, Mattis, Kelly and McMaster apparently saved us almost on a daily basis from the reckless and insane impulses of a dangerous ignoramus who got even more out of control when he lost the election then refused to accept the results. Unfortunately the threat has not gone away as the Republican party and its craven leaders still are in lockstep behind their fuhrer.

 

What Will It Take For Trump’s Base to See Their Hero as a Traitor?

Then we look into why the explosive revelations in The Guardian about documentation from a Kremlin National Security Council meeting on January 22 of 2016 that make it clear Putin launched a major operation to help elect Trump while hurting Hillary Clinton are not getting more coverage. Joining us is Robert Baer, a former CIA officer whose last assignment at the agency was as a liaison to the KGB as the Soviet Union was collapsing. We discuss the authenticity of the documents and what it will take for Trump’s supporters to see their hero as the traitor that he is.

 

Can Democrats Weaponize This Flood of Mounting Evidence?

Then finally we speak with Richard Parker, who teaches economics and public policy at Harvard University and was a co-founder of Mother Jones and serves on the board of The Nation. He joins us to discuss the difficulty of penetrating Trump’s base with facts and evidence and what Democrats can do with the mounting proof that Trump is a wannabe dictator and a traitor who almost ended American democracy and is actively engaged in a second coup attempt.