Background Briefing: February 28, 2024

The Michigan Vote as an Indicator of How the Gaza War Threatens Biden’s Reelection

We begin with the results of yesterday’s Michigan primaries which had Biden at 81% of the Democratic vote with the uncommitted protest vote against Biden’s stance on Gaza at 13%. Joining us to discuss how much Biden’s ties to Netanyahu threaten his reelection is John Nichols, The Nation magazine’s Washington correspondent. His books include The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party: The Enduring Legacy of Henry Wallace’s Anti-Fascist, Anti-Racist Politics, and most recently, Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis. We discuss his latest article at The Nation, “Michigan Voters Made It Clear: Biden’s Gaza Policy Could Threaten His Reelection.”

 

Senator McConnell Steps Down From Leadership of a GOP He is Out of Step With

Then we assess the impact of Senator McConnell’s announcement today that he is stepping down from Republican leadership of the senate in November while remaining to serve out his term. Joining us to discuss Senator Ted Cruz’s role in ousting the longest serving senate leader who acknowledged he is out of step with Trump’s GOP is Ben Jacobs, a political reporter based in Washington, DC who has covered three presidential campaigns and countless federal and state elections, as well as Capitol Hill, the White House, and the Supreme Court. Previously a congressional reporter for The Guardian and The Daily Beast, his writing has also appeared in Vox, New York Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Examiner, the New Republic, and many others.

 

The Embrace of Fascism by Trump’s Government in Waiting at CPAC

Then finally we look into the embrace of fascism by Trump’s government in waiting on display at CPAC and speak with Adele Stan, an independent journalist who is a longtime chronicler of the right wing of U.S. politics. A winner of the Hillman Prize in Opinion & Analysis Journalism, her work has appeared in Mother Jones, The Nation, and The American Prospect as well as on the op-ed pages of The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. We discuss her article at The New Republic, “CPAC 2024: This Year America, Tomorrow the World.”