Club Med Gaza | DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou

Uncover the shadows of history and the fractures of modern power on the DeProgram show with political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou. Tune in as Ted and John dissect today's bombshell disclosures.CIA Cover-Up in JFK Assassination Probe: Former CIA historian, Thomas L. Pearcy, steps forward as a whistleblower for the first time, exposing a secret 50-page inspector general's report from 1978 in which the CIA brags about misleading Congress about Lee Harvey Oswald's Mexico City activities before Kennedy's slaying. Pearcy, now a professor at Slippery Rock University, stumbled upon the document in a secure CIA safe room in 2009 while researching Latin American policy; it details how officers handed over "sanitized" duplicates of files to House Select Committee chief counsel Robert Blakey, deleting key evidence and prompting a CIA memo mocking Blakey's "incurious" review after just 20-30 minutes per volume. As the 62nd anniversary of the stunning assassination approa…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou tell you all about a bizarre scheme by the Ministry of State Security to ensnare UK lawmakers, staffers, consultants, economists, and think tank experts. Shifting to the U.S., the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll reveals Democrats surging 14 points ahead—55%-41%—on congressional ballots, independents favoring them 33 points, signaling a possible “blue wave” if Democrats don’t mess it up. Trump is greenlighting CIA covert ops in Venezuela—prepping sabotage, cyber, or psyops battlefields—as the State designation of “Cartel de los Soles terrorists” turns out to be a figment of the imagination. And Montreal's Allan Memorial Institute survivor leads a class-action lawsuit exposing CIA's MK-Ultra mind control via unwitting LSD dosing, electroshocks, "psychic driving" tapes, barbiturates, stimulants, nitrous oxide, sensory deprivation, and comas on thousands of Canadians across 100+ sites. Wanted in the UK: MSS Spies: MI5 unveil…

Is Israel furtively indulging in slow-motion ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza to South Africa and other countries? South Africa suspects yes. Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou bring you up to speed on this shocking story as well as alleged prosecutorial screw-ups threatening the high-profile indictment of James Comey to global shifts in migration and education.Comey Indictment in Jeopardy: A federal magistrate judge drops a scathing 24-page ruling, slamming inexperienced prosecutor Lindsey Halligan for "fundamental and highly prejudicial" misstatements of law during her solo grand jury appearance seeking charges against former FBI Director James Comey for lying to Congress in his notorious 2020 testimony. Judge William E. Fitzpatrick orders immediate disclosure of incomplete grand jury materials to Comey's lawyers, raising "genuine issues of misconduct" that could force dismissal, while prosecutors scramble with an emergency halt request. The j…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou catch you up from the weekend in news. Among the highlights: Trump’s Epstein flip-flop, Chile chooses between extreme left and right, Iran stops uranium enrichment, and the US plan for Gaza gets bogged down in the Security Counsel.Trump's Sudden Epstein Files Reversal: Trying to avoid a humiliating defeat in the House, President Trump now urges House Republicans to back a measure compelling the Justice Department to release Epstein files, marking a sharp pivot after his campaign to quash GOP dissent and halt the vote after the shutdown. He posts on social media, insisting Republicans vote yes "because we have nothing to hide," while dismissing the push as a "Democrat Hoax" to deflect from Republican victories like averting a shutdown. This turn follows intense White House pressure, including Situation Room meetings with his AG and FBI director, amid scrutiny over newly released emails where Epstein claims Trump spent hou…

Battles over academic freedom and executive power today’s episode of “DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou.” Texas A&M bans advocacy of “race or gender ideology,” an Indiana professor is suspended after a Trump-allied senator intervenes over a graphic labeling “Make America Great Again” as covert white supremacy, Senator John Fetterman is hospitalized again, a secret 40-page DOJ memo with odd reasoning justifies Trump’s lethal boat strikes, and new DNA analysis of Hitler blood reveals a rare genetic marker linked to delayed puberty, undescended testicles, and possible Kallmann syndrome.Texas A&M Censors Professors: Texas A&M System regents unanimously vote to prohibit courses from advocating “race or gender ideology” without presidential pre-approval and ban teaching anything inconsistent with the approved syllabus. This follows months of GOP accusations of liberal indoctrination and comes after a lecturer was fired in September for recognizing more than two genders. Faculty call…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou examine the late child predator Jeffrey Epstein's claims that President Trump "spent hours" at his house with victim Virginia Giuffre and "knew about the girls," Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s belated condemnation of "shocking" settler attacks, and the Trump Organization files for a record 184 H-2A/H-2B foreign workers in 2025—up from 121 in 2021—for Mar-a-Lago servers. Is it really that hard to find good help here at home?Epstein-Trump Emails: House Democrats release explosive emails from Epstein's estate, asserting Trump "spent hours" with victim Virginia Giuffre at Epstein's home and "knew about the girls," including underage victims, in exchanges with Ghislaine Maxwell and Michael Wolff dating back to 2011 and 2019. Republicans fire back by unveiling over 20,000 pages of documents, denouncing the selective Democratic picks as a "hoax" timed to overshadow the government shutdown's resolution. Bipartisan momentum bui…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou cue up the long-awaited Epstein files vote; a Trump Administration investigation of UC Berkeley over a skirmish at a Turning Point protest; the torture of 252 Venezuelans in El Salvador at the behest of the US; JNIM's fuel blockade highlights the rise of Al Qaeda in the Sahel in the wake of French withdrawals. DOJ Investigates UC Berkeley Protest Incident: The Justice Department announces an investigation into UC Berkeley after protesters confront Turning Point USA event attendees, with civil rights chief Harmeet Dhillon labeling demonstrators as Antifa operating with impunity. Protests outside Zellerbach Hall feature chants against Trump, a brief scatter from fireworks mistaken for gunshots, and four arrests including one violent off-campus incident. The probe may fold into ongoing UC system scrutiny over antisemitism and diversity practices, while the university condemns violence and cooperates with FBI. Will the White…

Like you, political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou took note of the fact that Democrats won the elections—so why are they surrendering on the shutdown/healthcare tax credits showdown? Explore the exploding civil war within the Democratic Party.Democratic Traitors Join GOP: Eight Democrats, including Sens. Tim Kaine, Jeanne Shaheen, and Angus King, join Republicans in a 60-40 procedural victory late Sunday, overcoming 14 failed attempts to push a House-passed stopgap measure. This breakthrough, emerging from round-the-clock bipartisan talks, amends the bill to bundle three longer-term appropriations, extend funding through January 30, 2026, and guarantee retroactive pay for furloughed workers—which they would have received anyway—while restoring full SNAP and Veterans Affairs funding through September. Though hurdles like House votes loom, President Trump signals optimism upon returning to the White House, declaring the deal "very close" to ending the crisis as…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou updates you on the chilling US military base scare, a courtroom triumph for the nation’s most famous lunchmeat tosser, and a fierce congressional clash over war powers.Kazakhstan Joins Abraham Accords: President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signs up with Trump’s effort to bring together Muslim countries with Israel. This move reinvigorates the U.S.-led framework for Israel-Arab-Muslim cooperation, attempting to signal religious tolerance and regional integration—but there were no prior conflicts between the nations, so does this mean much? Trump is eyeing expansions to Saudi Arabia and beyond to repair Israel's Gaza-war isolation. Can he rehabilitate the Jewish state?Airline Chaos Begins: The FAA mandates airlines slashing thousands of flights starting today, grappling with air traffic controller shortages in the longest government shutdown ever. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA head Bryan Bedford enforce 10% cuts at…

cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou catch you up on the one-two punch of Tuesday’s Democratic electoral sweep coupled with the understanding that voters blame Republicans for the shutdown, reduced SNAP benefits, the Obamacare benefits crisis and now, a looming crisis facing America’s aviation system.Supreme Court Seems Likely to Overturn Trump's Tariffs: The Supreme Court convenes intense oral arguments, probing Trump's invocation of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to slap sweeping tariffs on imports from dozens of countries, including China, Canada, and Mexico. Justices, including conservatives like Chief Justice John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh, voice deep reservations about relying on declared emergencies for unchecked economic powers, questioning if such broad powers unconstitutionally delegate Congress's authority under the major-questions doctrine. As plaintiffs—ranging from toy importers in Illino…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou tell you what the Democrats’ elections sweep means and what comes next for the future of their party and the country.Zohran Mamdani's Triumph: Once again, “DeProgram” called the election results on the nose, within 0.5 percent. Over two million New Yorkers cast votes, doubling 2021 turnout and electing 34-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as New York's 111th mayor, toppling Andrew Cuomo's dynasty-backed machine. Mamdani forges a bold coalition, rallying young gentrifiers in Bushwick alongside working-class South Asian immigrants in Queens, while flipping Bronx and Brooklyn's Black and Latino strongholds by double-digit margins despite $40 million in superPAC smears laced with Islamophobia. This upset signals a generational revolt, with Mamdani poised to tax the ultra-rich for affordability reforms amid Trump's shadow. Is progressivism the future of the Democratic Party?Exxon's Covert Climate-Denial Campaign in…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou explore the legacy of Dick Cheney, America's most powerful modern vice president and chief architect of the "war on terror,” Israel’s top army lawyer imprisoned after she exposed IDF’s sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee, the shakeup at the Heritage Foundation over Tucker Carlson's interview with Nick Fuentes, and Tanzania's sham elections and resulting street unrest.Dick Cheney’s Death: Complications from pneumonia and cardiac disease kill the influential VP at 84, surrounded by loved ones praising his legacy of national service and personal virtues like fly fishing. As the neoconservative architect of post-9/11 wars including the Iraq invasion based on lies, he leaves a polarizing mark, ending his political life by criticizing Trump and endorsing Harris. Recent tributes highlight his bunker directives on 9/11 and unyielding defense of torture, shaping two decades of brutal U.S. foreign policy.Israel’s Wrong Scandal:…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou explain why Wednesday's landmark hearing before the Supreme Court about President Trump's tariffs may be the most important constitutional case of our lives, how AI spending surges toward $400 billion this year on infrastructure may be a warning sign of a corporate bubble about to burst, how New York City’s big mayoral election tomorrow will widen the schism within the Democratic Party and handicaps the seriousness of Trump’s threats of "guns-a-blazing" military action against Nigeria over alleged Christian persecution.Supreme Court Tariff Showdown: The Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday on Trump's IEEPA tariffs, deciding if the 1970s law authorizes import taxes amid global trade reshaping. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that Trump raised alarms on a trade crisis tipping point, justifying emergency leverage like a theoretical pre-2008 housing warning. A loss risks chaotic refunds, revenue dips brightening fis…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou take you from nuclear brinkmanship to economic sabotage and humanitarian crises.Nuke Testing Is Back: Trump shocks the globe by ordering the Pentagon to immediately resume U.S. nuclear weapons testing after a 33-year moratorium, while en route to a high-stakes summit with China's Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. Citing Russia's recent trials of nuclear-capable Burevestnik missiles and Poseidon underwater drones—said by the Kremlin to be non-nuclear detonations—and China's arsenal doubling to 600 warheads since 2020, Trump insists on matching rivals "on an equal basis" despite huge U.S. stockpiles leading at around 5,177 warheads. This reversal of post-Cold War policy, issued just 100 days before New START's 2026 expiration, draws sharp rebukes from Beijing urging CTBT compliance and Moscow warning of reciprocal actions, heightening fears of a renewed arms race.Argentine Beef Are Not America First: American ranchers erup…

Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou explain the battle between a federal judge and the Trump Administration over SNAP Benefits, Congressional skepticism over the DoD's Drug Boat Strikes and rumors that Pakistan Will Send Troops to Gaza.SNAP Benefits Battle Intensifies: A Boston federal judge signals that she will overturn the Trump administration's refusal to release $5.3 billion in emergency funds, threatening food-stamp aid for 42 million Americans amid the government shutdown. Judge Indira Talwani questions the White House’s logic in suspending SNAP entirely, emphasizing Congress's intent to protect families from hunger, while states like New Mexico pledge $30 million and New York fast-tracks $30 million more to bridge gaps. Lawsuits from 25 Democratic-led states argue that the Republican position violates federal law, as partial payments loom uncertain and food banks brace for surging demand.So Trump Calls for the “Nuclear Option”: Not that nuclear opt…