Even though the standards of the Trump administration are low, the Republican refusal to release funds that were already appropriated to help hungry Americans who receive food stamps get food is stunningly cruel.
Ted Rall’s Latest Books:
Do Those Ignored by Trump Exist?
Trump’s campaign of retribution is so widespread and far-reaching that at a certain point, you have to wonder if you really matter if you are not in his crosshairs.
At Least the DNC Is Consistent
No matter the election results—as we are currently seeing following the Democratic sweep that elected both centrists as governors in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as a progressive new mayor in the form of Zohran Mamdani in New York City—the corporate Democrats who control the party, as well as the liberal media, always have the same exact talking point.
No One Will Ever Wonder How It Happened Here
Anyone who ever wondered whether the movie Idiocracy was coming to pass has only to consider the fact that the White House will celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, with a UFC cage match on the White House lawn, assuming there’s any lawn left after Trump’s humongous ballroom of death is completed.
All Retribution Must End
Trump promised to improve the economy for his second term. Instead, he’s focused on getting even with his enemies, real and imagined. He’s having his former prosecutorial persecutors indicted, shaking down elite institutions for cash, and generally making life miserable for anyone who ever crossed him. What happens when he no longer has anyone to take out his lust for vengeance upon?
1/8 of Americans Receive Food Stamps
Food stamp/SNAP benefits to the hungry were disrupted and cut off due to the month-long federal government shutdown. Among the factoids that were revealed during the coverage of this appalling story was the fact that 1/8 of Americans receive food stamps. How on earth can the United States claim to be a functioning nation when at least 1/8 of its population lives in food insecurity and grinding poverty?
Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go in the Water
Some people might still be afraid of sharks because of a certain movie that came out 50 years ago, but these days, the real reason not to go into the water is Donald J. Trump. The president is blowing up random ships and boats—including fishermen—all over the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean for no discernible reason whatsoever other than to possibly put pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
You Have the Right Not To Know Anything
President Trump has launched numerous airstrikes against boats in the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing dozens of Venezuelans and Colombians, at least some of whom appear to be fishermen. He doesn’t provide evidence that they are drug dealers, legal arguments asserting his right to target drug smugglers, or even identify their origins. This is the divine right of kings. Will we care when he uses it against us?
Message What?
The Democratic Party is in crisis, in large part because it has lost the working class without replacing it with another equally large or larger group of voters. Many within the party want to win them back, but they’re completely unwilling to promote policies that would appeal to them. Instead, they think they just need better messaging.
Why Are You Proud To Be An American?
Many Americans, especially on the Right, are extremely proud of their nationality and citizenship. But this country and its government do so many awful things so often that such pride requires a lot of cognitive dissonance.
“The Stringer”
graphic novel
by Ted Rall & Pablo G. Callejo
“Political Suicide: The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party”
by Ted Rall
“Bernie (Revised 2020 Edition)”
by Ted Rall
DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “Did Hitler Have a Micro Weenie?”
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LIVE 9:00 am Eastern time, Streaming Anytime: 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 it a direct assault on academic freedom;…
Read MoreDeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “Trump Snubs US Workers at Mar-a-Lago”
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LIVE 9:00 am Eastern time, Streaming Anytime: 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 builds for a full Epstein files vote…
Read MoreDeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “Finally, the Epstein Files”
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LIVE 9:00 am Eastern time, Streaming Anytime: deprogram-epstein-files-doj-investigation-venezuelan-torture-mali-siege 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 House babysit Turning…
Read MoreDeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “Subcontinent on the Brink”
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LIVE 9:00 am Eastern time, Streaming Anytime: Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou react to bombings rocking India and Pakistan. Is another war, between two nuclear states, imminent? Meanwhile, IDF soldiers, haunted and guilty, testify to their atrocities in Gaza. India Pledges Revenge for Delhi Car Blast: Indian police probe a deadly car explosion near Delhi’s iconic Red Fort, killing eight and injuring 20 in the bustling old quarters. Authorities invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, India’s stringent anti-terror law, alongside explosives statutes, sealing the site for forensic scrutiny amid shuttered markets and halted Metro services. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing crowds in Bhutan “with a heavy heart,” vows relentless pursuit of the conspirators and blames Pakistani-backed terrorists, echoing past crises like the Kashmir attack that sparked nuclear-armed skirmishes. Pakistani Capital Also Bombed: A suicide bomber blows himself up outside Islamabad’s district court, slaying 12 and wounding 27 in midday chaos, with crowds fleeing as smoke billows…
Read MoreDeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “Democrats Win, Then Surrender”
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LIVE 9:00 am Eastern time, Streaming Anytime: 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 early as this week. What Next: The Senate adjourned around 11:15…
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