Background Briefing: April 8, 2024

On By evan

Top House Republicans Express Concern Russian Propaganda Has a Foothold Among Members and Has Infected the Party’s Base

We will begin with two top House Republicans Mike Turner, the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee and Michael McCaul, the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee both expressing concern that Russian propaganda has found a foothold amongst fellow Republicans and has “infected a good chunk of my party’s base” according to McCaul. Joining us is an expert on propaganda Renee Hobbs, an internationally recognized authority on media literacy education. She has worked to advance the quality of digital and media literacy education in the United States and around the world. She is the Founder and Director of the Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island, whose mission is to improve the quality of media literacy education through research and community service.

The Mental Deterioration of the Propagandist-In-Chief Donald Trump

Then we will assess the mental deterioration of the propagandist-in-chief Donald Trump and speak with Dr. Allen Frances, a Professor Emeritus and former Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Duke University. He is the author of the award-winning international bestseller Saving Normal and the reference work Essentials of Psychiatric Diagnosis and his latest book is Twilight of American Sanity: A Psychiatrist Analyzes the Age of Trump, now out in an updated paperback version.

Biden’s Plan B for Student Debt Relief to Get Around the Supreme Court

Then finally we will look into the Biden Administration’s effort to get around the Supreme Court’s blockage of debt relief for students with a Plan B announced today. Joining us to discuss the $1.7 trillion debt burden holding back the lives and futures of millions of Americans is Kevin Carey, the vice president for Education Policy at the New America Foundation where he also directs their Education Policy program. Previously he worked as the policy director of Education Sector and as an analyst at the Education Trust and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. A regular contributor to The Upshot at the New York Times, he is the author of The End of College: Creating the Future of Learning and the University of Everywhere.