The Final Countdown – 9/29/23 – Senator Dianne Feinstein Passes Away; Biden Delivers Speech on Democracy

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss top news such as Former Senator Dianne Feinstein passing away, and an imminent government shutdown. 

Carter Clews – President of Constitutional Rights PAC
Daniel Lazare – Journalist and author
Daniel McAdams – Director of the Ron Paul Institute 
Michelle Witte – Co-Host of Political Misfits
 
The show begins with Carter Clews, President of Constitutional Rights PAC, joining The Final Countdown to discuss the House Republicans holding the first inquiry into Joe Biden. 
 
Then, Journalist and author Daniel Lazare weighs in on the President’s speech on the state of “democracy” within the U.S.  and how it affects his re-election campaign. 
 
The show begins with the Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute Daniel McAdams sharing his perspective on the government shutdown. 
 
The show wraps up with Co-host of Political Misfits Michelle Witte joining to discuss Senator Dianne Feinstein, who passed away at 90 years old. 
 

DMZ America Podcast #118: The Second GOP Debate Reminds Us That Trump Will Be the Republican Nominee

In this week’s installment of the DMZ America Podcast, political cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) digest and analyze the second GOP debate featuring North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

The clear winner was the man who is ahead of number two DeSantis by 47 points, Donald Trump—and he wasn’t there. What’s the point of this exercise, considering that Trump rather credibly says he won’t choose his veep from these seven? Who will drop out soon? What happens to the survivors? What does the current state of the Republican primaries and the general election race say about the U.S. system in general? Scott and Ted turn over the Rubik’s cube of 2024 presidential campaign to examine all the angles.

Watch the Video Version of the DMZ America Podcast:

DMZ America Podcast #118: The Second GOP Debate Reminds Us That Trump Will Be the Republican Nominee

The Final Countdown – 9/28/23 – Winners and Losers from 2nd GOP Debate

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss top news such as the GOP debates.


Melik Abdul – Cohost of Fault Lines
Bob Patillo – Attorney and Executive Director of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition 
Steve Gill – Attorney and CEO of Gill Media 
John Kiriakou – Former CIA Officer, Host of Political Misfits  
 
The show kicks off with a panel of co-hosts of Fault Lines Melik Abdul and Attorney Bob Patillo breaking down Wednesday night’s GOP debate. The panel discusses who shone — and who flopped in debates. 
 
The second hour begins with Attorney Steve Gill, breaking down Trump’s legal woes after being found liable for fraud by a New York judge, and the canceling of his business certification for the Trump Organization. 
 
The show closes with Former CIA Officer John Kiriakou, who weighs in on over 50 young people who have been arrested in Philadelphia on accusations of ransacking stores and what drove this incident.

The Final Countdown – 9/26/23 – One Year Anniversary of NordStream Sabotage Attack: NATO Remains Mum

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss top news such as the one-year anniversary of the Nord Stream attack. 


Mark Frost – Economist 
Lauren Fix – Auto Expert & Car Coach Reports Analyst
Ted Harvey – Former Colorado State Senator, CEO and Chairman of StopJoe.com 
Mark Sleboda – International Relations and Security Analyst
 
The show kicks off with Economist Mark Frost joining The Final Countdown to provide his expertise on the imminent government shutdown, and whether or not assistance to Ukraine will be included in the stopgap spending bill. 
 
Then, Auto Expert Lauren Fix discusses the ongoing UAW strike including Biden and Trump’s plans to visit the auto workers.  
 
The second hour begins with the CEO and chairman of StopJoe.com Ted Harvey sharing his perspective on the continuous legal drama of Hunter Biden, including new revelations about an FBI “mole” who tipped him off. 
 
The show closes with International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda sharing his expertise on the one-year anniversary of the Nord Stream pipeline explosion, and Poland seeking to extradite a Ukrainian Nazi veteran from Canada. 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 9/25/23 – New Poll Reveals Biden Would Lose to Trump by Double Digits

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss hot topics such as Trump leading Biden in the polls. 
 

Steve Gill – Attorney and CEO of Gill Media 

Dan Kovalik – Human Rights Lawyer 
Steve Abramowicz – Owner & CEO of Mill Creek View 
Fiorella Isabel – Journalist, geopolitical analyst, and host of Convo Couch 
 
The show begins with attorney and CEO of Gill Media Steve Gill shares his insights on the presidential race, such as Trump leading a national poll 10 points ahead of Biden. 
 
Then, Human Rights Lawyer Dan Kovalik joins The Final Countdown to discuss the indictment of Bob Menendez and how the Senator was one of the biggest proponents of sanctions against Cuba. 
 
The second hour begins with Steve Abramowicz, the Owner & CEO of Mill Creek View podcast, weighing in on the latest out of the Shutdown showdown on Capitol Hill, and what Americans can expect if an agreement is not reached. 
 
The show closes with Journalist Fiorella Isabel sharing her perspective on President Zelensky in Canada.
 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 9/22/23 – Costly Government Shutdown Looms Amid Split in Congress

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss top news, such as the government shutdown split in Congress. 
 

Steve Gill – Attorney and CEO of Gill Media 

Mark Sleboda – International Relations and Security Analyst 
Manila Chan – Host of Modus Operandi on RT 
Scott Stantis – Cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune
 
The show kicks off with Attorney and CEO Steve Gill joining The Final Countdown to discuss what would happen during a shutdown and if it will benefit the Trump campaign. 
 
Then, International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda shares his expertise on Ukraine’s investigation of the military’s top brass. 
 
The second hour begins with former host Manila Chan to discuss the ongoing migration crisis in the U.S. 
 
The show closes with Chicago Tribune Cartoonist Scott Stantis weighing in on Chicago considering state-run grocery stores due to an influx in crime. 
 
 

DMZ America Podcast #117: Should President Biden Be Impeached? What is the Legacy of Rupert Murdoch? and Are the Two Major Political Parties Switching Positions?

Editorial Cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis discuss and dissect the issues of the day.

First up, the U.S. House of Representatives has begun an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden. The question before the House and the country is; if the facts of the Hunter Biden fiasco be traced back to President Biden, should he be impeached?

Next up, Ted and Scott discuss the legacy of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The good, the bad and the ugly. (Scott contends that Murdoch is as important a figure as William Randolph Hearst.)

Lastly, Scott asks Ted to expand on his recent syndicated column, documenting the fact that the Republicans and Democrats are realigning themselves in surprising and unexpected ways.

Watch the Video Version of the DMZ America Podcast:

DMZ America Podcast Ep 117 Sec 1: Should President Biden Be Impeached?

DMZ America Podcast Ep 117 Sec 2: What is the Legacy of Rupert Murdoch?

DMZ America Podcast Ep 117 Sec 3: Are the Two Major Political Parties Switching Positions?

 

The Final Countdown – 9/21/23 – Merrick Garland Grilled by House Committee Over Politicalization of DOJ

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss hot topics, such as AG Merrick Garland being grilled on Capitol Hill.  
 
Ted Harvey – Former Colorado State Senator  and Chairman of StopJoe.com 
Steven Hayes – Chairman & President of FairTax
Dr. George Szamuely – Senior Research Fellow at the Global Policy Institute & Author 
Dan Kovalik – Human & Labor Rights Lawyer 
 
The show begins with Former Colorado State Senator and Chairman of StopJoe.com sharing his perspective on Merrick Garland’s hours-long testimony and his relationship with the DOJ investigation into Hunter Biden. 
 
Then, Chairman & President of FairTax Steven Hayes weighs in on an imminent government shutdown, and divisions within the GOP. 
 
The second hour kicks off with Senior Research Fellow at the Global Policy Institute, Dr. George Szamuely, weighing in on Ukraine’s dispute with Poland over bans on its grain exports, amid the PM announcing he won’t be sending weapons to Ukraine. 
 
The show closes with Human & Labor Rights Lawyer Dan Kovalik sharing his perspective on a UK MP requesting the demonetization of British comedian Russell Brand. 
 
 

Trump, the UAW and the Next Realignment

Bipartisanship is dead. But job-killing trade agreements like NAFTA were promoted by politicians of both major parties alike—until Donald Trump. “Our politicians have aggressively pursued a policy of globalization, moving our jobs, our wealth and our factories to Mexico and overseas. Globalization has made the financial elite, who donate to politicians, very, very wealthy. I used to be one of them,” he told an audience in Pennsylvania in 2016. “Many of these areas have never recovered and never will unless I become president. Then, they’re going to recover fast.”

They didn’t. The Rust Belt continues to disintegrate.

Trump didn’t deliver. But his message proved to be an effective vote generator. It turned Ohio, the ultimate bellwether swing state, red. Formerly Democratic Pennsylvania now swings. So it’s no surprise that Trump is repeating his message to workers: deindustrialization sucks, no one sees your pain but me, and I’ll make it go away.

This year, Dr. Trump is going even further than any previous Republican president has gone before, reaching out to big labor, long a bête noire for Republicans. September 27th  finds the once-and-possibly-future president skipping the second GOP presidential debate and speaking instead to striking autoworkers.

Symbolically, Trump’s outreach represents a radical contrast for a party with a long and consistent history of antagonism to workers’ right to bargain collectively. Congressional Republicans rammed through the Taft-Hartley Act, Reagan fired the air traffic controllers, Republican-controlled legislators created union-gutting “right to work” states and, as a result, union campaign contributions overwhelmingly flowed to Democratic candidates. This is the first time in memory—possibly ever—that a major Republican presidential contender has thought of campaigning to union members, during a walkout no less.

Meanwhile “Union Joe” Biden, who likes to emphasize his working-class Scranton background and has collected numerous union endorsements, has been publicly silent about the UAW strike—a stance made starker when he jammed a contract down the throats of freight train workers when they threatened to walk off the job. The President hasn’t expressed any desire to meet with striking workers, whether at one of the big three automakers, the SAG-AFTRA writers in Hollywood, or Amazon warehouses. Biden’s support for unions has been performative and rhetorical.

What about Trump’s?

At this date, Trump is the better talker. Nothing new here, when compared to Biden. The question is, might the Republican Party assume policy positions that credibly allow it to argue that it has become an ally of workers, after decades of being their enemy in service of their corporate masters?

If anyone can and will spearhead such a pivot, it will be Trump, the man who pulled off the neat trick of running against the Iraq War in the den of bloodthirsty militarism that is a Republican primary, and winning, and going on to become the first president in two decades to seriously negotiate with the Taliban, signing a deal to withdraw from Afghanistan, yet remaining a hero of the right.

Should Trump construct a pro-labor Republicanism, we may be at the dawn of the biggest political realignment election since 1932. Roosevelt’s victory at the depth of the Great Depression and the subsequent enactment of his New Deal reversed the basic duopolistic structure in place since 1860. For three-quarters of a century the Party of Lincoln had represented progressivism and the struggle for equal rights while Democrats had embraced reactionary and racist policies with the occasional interruption of white-aligned populists like William Jennings Bryan; in rough terms, the parties switched places as Democrats embraced liberalism as we know it and Republicans took on conservatism.

We are currently experiencing a realignment-in-waiting, a 1932-scale ideological reversal that is taking hold in some arenas, tentative in others and will live or die depending on what party leaders do about two or three key issue categories.

On foreign policy, realignment is nearly complete. America’s current project in interventionism, the proxy war in Ukraine, enjoys full-throated support from Biden and Congressional Democrats while the antiwar voices are found not in the supposedly democratic-socialist “Squad” but the far-right Freedom Caucus. Culturally, the Democratic Party has become the home of well-educated coastal elites while the GOP increasingly draws in voters with high school educations and lower incomes in flyover country.

Realignment remains stillborn without an analogous reversal in domestic affairs, however. This is where Republicans have yet to demonstrate an appetite to reverse course.

A 180° switcheroo would see a genuine attempt by Republicans to address long-standing economic problems that traditionally have been Democratic Party projects if and when they have been discussed at all: soaring healthcare costs, high college tuition, poverty, homelessness, unaffordable housing, low real wages. In Alcoholics Anonymous the first step is admitting you have a problem; in politics the first step is talking about a problem in a way that shows that you acknowledge its existence. Some Republicans are finally starting to address some of these issues. But that’s a far cry from proposing meaningful solutions, much less legislation.

Trump’s hostile takeover of the Republican Party put him on a collision course with the neoconservatives who started two forever wars. He prevailed in that fight. Should Trump choose to chart a path for Republicans that includes an appeal to ordinary workers, he will have to defeat the traditional Republicans who created the status quo like rival presidential candidate Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who suggests that the appropriate response to striking auto workers is to replicate the way Reagan handled PATCO: “He said, you strike, you’re fired. Simple concept to me to the extent that we can use that once again.” Similarly, Governor Brian Kemp dismisses the UAW as a blue-state nuisance: “We just haven’t been dealing with it in Georgia, because we’re a right-to-work state.”

Trump’s outreach to labor could, and most likely will prove to be, nothing more than an empty gesture designed to extract votes ahead of an election, no follow up forthcoming, no actual leaning on management to cough up higher wages and better conditions for workers. Or it might be the beginning of something big, like his America First foreign policy, which overturns the balance of power inside his party and changes the way we think about what both major parties stand for.

 (Ted Rall (Twitter: @tedrall), the political cartoonist, columnist and graphic novelist, co-hosts the left-vs-right DMZ America podcast with fellow cartoonist Scott Stantis. You can support Ted’s hard-hitting political cartoons and columns and see his work first by sponsoring his work on Patreon.)

 

The Final Countdown – 9/13/23 – Poor Coverage of Biden Impeachment Inquiry Raises Questions Regarding Trump’s Treatment

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss hot topics, including the Biden impeachment inquiry. 
 

Chris Widener – Motivational Speaker & Writer

Armen Kurdian – Retired Navy Captain, Former City Council Candidate & Political strategist 
Dan Kovalik – Human rights lawyer, peace activist 
Elijah Magnier – Veteran War Correspondent 
 
The show kicks off with motivational speaker and writer Chris Widener joining to discuss the impeachment inquiry into Biden and how it will affect the President’s 2024 candidacy.
 
Then, Retired Navy Captain and politician Armen Kurdian shares his perspective on Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s pardoning of a father who was arrested in a school board meeting. 
 
The second hour begins with human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik sharing his insights on the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin and what this alliance means for the West. 
 
The show closes with Veteran War Correspondent Elijah Magnier, who breaks down the purpose of a prisoner deal between the U.S. and  Iran. 
 
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