Ted Rall’s Latest Books:

“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

The Final Countdown – 4/29/24 – College Protests Ignite Deep Divide Over Free Speech

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss a wide array of topics including the debate over free speech amid the widespread campus protests against the war in Gaza.  Autry Pruitt – Chairman of New Journey PAC Dan Kovalik – Human Rights Lawyer Scott Stantis – Cartoonist Jamie Finch – Former Transportation Safety Official   The show begins with Autry Pruitt, Chairman of New Journey PAC, discussing the implications of Trump’s immunity claim and the recent developments in the hush money testimony.   Then, human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik examines the recent wave of arrests during U.S. protests for Palestine across major universities.   The second hour starts with cartoonist Scott Stantis weighing in on the debate over  the definitions between anti-Zionism versus anti-Semitism and the long-term impacts on careers for student protestors.   The show closes with Former Transportation Safety Official Jamie Finch addressing the ongoing financial crisis at Southwest Airlines, attributing significant challenges to issues with Boeing aircraft.    
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DMZ America Podcast #145: Mass Graves in Gaza, Imperial Presidency, Menthol Madness

Political cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) debate the week in news and culture as friendly adversaries to bring you spirited debate and smart insight. First up: The Israel-Hamas War seems to be entering some sort of tipping point in terms of international public opinion. As the International Criminal Court weighs issuing an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government’s policy of blockade and mass starvation in Gaza and student protests over America’s support of Israel spread from Columbia University to college and university campuses around the nation, the disturbing discovery of a pair of mass graves containing the bodies of hospital patients and personnel apparently summarily executed in areas under IDF control prompt Scott to say that, if this is confirmed to be an Israeli war crime, he would be done with Israel after supporting the Jewish state for many years. Second: The US Supreme Court hears oral arguments…
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DMZ America Podcast #144: USC Censors Its Valedictorian for Being Palestinian, Trump on Trial, Biden’s Weird Steel Tariffs

Cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) are back at their respective abodes in New York and Alabama. As always, Ted and Scott put friendship first in their spirited but civilized debates and discussions about the issues at hand. First up: The University of Southern California denies this year’s valedictorian Asna Tabassum her right to deliver the commencement address because she is Palestinian and might have had the audacity to call for Palestinians to stop being slaughtered en masse by Israel in Gaza. If ever there was cause for people of all ideological stripes to be appalled albeit for different reasons, here it is. Next: Donald Trump becomes the first former president to face a criminal trial. Scott and Ted dissect the nature of the charges, related to the payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels, and explore the disturbing trend of prosecutors letting members of the public that they’re so out to get them…
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This Is a Golden Age of Censorship

            It’s too bad we can’t monetize censorship, because we truly live in a golden age of speech suppression. In this deeply polarized society, the one thing we can all agree upon is that people we disagree with need to shut up.             Officially, freedom of speech is a key commandment in our national civic religion. We love free speech—in the abstract. Nine out of ten Americans told a 2022 Knight Foundation/Ipsos study that “protecting free speech is an important part of American democracy” and that “people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions.” Yay, America!             When people express specific unpopular opinions, not so yay. 70% of respondents to the same study said that, for example, COVID-19 misinformation ought to be banned. Some even called for those who spread it (even though some of it may turn out to be true) to be jailed.             Young people often call for those they disagree with to shut their yaps. A…
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