The Final Countdown – 11/7/23 – Key U.S. Elections Kickoff in Several States

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss major topics, including key U.S. elections in several states. 
 

Steve Gill –  Attorney and CEO of Gill Media 

Tyler Nixon – Army Infantry Veteran 
Peter Coffin – Journalist, podcaster, & author 
Elijah Magnier – Veteran War Correspondent 
 
The show kicks off with Attorney Steve Gill breaking down the elections in several key states such as Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and more. He discusses how the results could set the precedent for the 2024 elections. 
 
Then, Army Infantry Veteran Tyler Nixon weighs in on the latest out of Trump’s New York civil fraud trial. 
 
The second hour begins with Journalist, podcaster, and author Peter Coffin weighing in on Jim Jordan dropping a “bombshell” report that highlights the U.S. government’s role in social media censorship before the 2020 elections. 
 
The show closes with Elijah Magnier breaking down the latest out of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the death toll surpasses 10,000 and Israel’s ground invasion ramps up. 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 11/6/23 – Conflict Intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah Along Lebanese-Israeli Border

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss major topics, including fighting on the Israeli-Lebanese border. 
 

Esteban Carrillo  – Ecuadorean journalist, Editor for The Cradle 

Dan Lazare – Independent journalist and author 
Scott Stantis – Cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune 
Nebojsa Malic – Serbian American journalist
The show kicks off with Ecuadorean journalist and Editor for The Cradle sharing his perspective on the conditions out of Gaza as the death toll surpasses 10,000, the ongoing Israeli ground invasion and encircling of Gaza City, and clashes along the border of Lebanon and Israel. 
 
Then, Independent Journalist Dan Lazare joins The Final Countdown to share his perspective on the 2024 Presidential Elections, with Trump leading Biden in five battleground states. 
 
The second hour begins with Cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune Scott Stantis weighing in on the two major ballot initiatives in Ohio and the Democratic upset in the Mississippi governor race. 
 
The show closes with Serbian-American journalist Nebojsa Malic joining The Final Countdown to discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to Trump to visit Ukraine. 
 
 

It’s Not Biden’s Age, Stupids

            Polls keep saying the same thing: voters think President Joe Biden is too old.

            The latest comes from some outfit called “The New York Times.” According to these “Times” people: “An overwhelming 71% said [Biden] was ‘too old’ to be an effective president—an opinion shared across every demographic and geographic group in the poll, including a remarkable 54% of Mr. Biden’s own supporters.” Just because he’s 80.

            Almost 81.

If the election were held today, the poll monsters go on, “Trump would be poised to win more than 300 electoral college votes, far above the 270 needed to take the White House.”

            On paper, where things get printed, it looks bad. “Even Kamala Harrisno political juggernaut so far—fares a bit better than Mr. Biden, trailing Mr. Trump by three points in a hypothetical matchup, compared with Mr. Biden’s five-point deficit,” the Times says.

            Fortunately for Democrats, Biden doesn’t live on paper. Our commander-in-chief is a skeletal flesh-and-bone human being. And he has the answer to these so-called “polls”: “I don’t believe the polls.” Exactly so, Mr. President. Anyone who takes the $8 billion-a-year public opinion and election polling industry and its thousands of highly-educated analysts seriously is plainly a poltroon and a malarkey-peddling pony soldier!

Ooo, look at us with our 95% accuracy rate, we’re soooo smart!

            Democrats have got to get the president’s message, whatever that is, out there. Otherwise voters might listen to Congressman Dean Phillips of Minnesota, the 54-year-old twerp challenging Biden in the Democratic primaries. “83% of Democrats under 30 want a different nominee. You know, a lot of politicians lie, but the numbers don’t,” Phillips says. Phillips loves Biden and voted with him literally 100% of the time; his only beef with the prez is the age thing.

            Like how James Carville famously said “it’s the economy, stupid” and that somehow got Clinton elected president, Biden needs to tell someone loudly and proudly: “It’s not about my age, even more, stupids!”

            Studies prove it with 95% accuracy: when people are thinking about one thing, they’re not thinking about something else. So, if we want voters to stop focusing on Biden’s age, we need to seduce them into obsessing over a different subject entirely.

            For instance, Biden might run attack ads pointing out that, at 77, Trump is no spring chicken his own self. Ad copy first draft: “If Biden is too old, Trump is almost as old as he is so at bare minimum he’s almost too old too!”

            Or, for heterosexual male voters, we could just show and talk about women’s breasts. Age who?

            But really, because this is politics and it’s supposed to be about policies, Democrats should migrate the focus on age over to the president’s handling of the economy. Well, they’ve been trying that. The problem is, the voters hate Bidenomics. The thing about voters is, they don’t respond well when you remind them why they hate you.

Why do the voters hate Bidenomics? Because people are psychologically selfish. Rich people and the stock market are doing great but the voters are broke and so are unappreciative. “Whatever stories Americans are told about the strength of the economy under President Joe Biden, they are not going to be persuaded to look past the issue of their own living standards,” liberal economist James Galbraith writes. Ingrates!

            Never mind the economy. Which is an awesome economy, no matter what your wallet tells you. And another thing—why is your wallet talking? Are you on fentanyl? If so, why can you afford fancy opioids? Bidenomics, that’s why!

            Pivot, pivot, pivot! Maybe Biden should focus on young people. They were a key part of his coalition in 2020, dropped away from Democrats during the 2022 midterms and are expected to stay away in 2024. Let’s get them back.

            Biden’s ace in the hole: come out as trans. Trans-young! Biden will announce that he now identifies as a 33-year-old. Not as the racist 33-year-old SOB he was in 1975 when he ran for Congress in Delaware while opposing court-ordered school desegregation and supporting pro-apartheid senator Jesse Helms’ attacks on bussing. As a cool modern one with, like, a goatee.

Trans-young Biden will dump the birthdate he was assigned at birth in favor of his lifestyle birthdate, 1990. It’ll even be on his new driver’s license, assuming he’s able to get the old one back after Hunter took it away along with his car keys.

As a dude who retroactively came of age in the 2010s, he’ll be underpaid, overworked and totally unable to repay his college student loans—just like the young voters who are mad at him because he didn’t forgive their student loans.

Common ground!

            Maybe we should talk to Kamala.

(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 – 11/3/23 – Hunter Biden Accuses Conservatives of Exploiting His Drug Addiction

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss a plethora of topics, including Hunter Biden’s op-ed. 
 
Esteban Carrillo – Editor for The Cradle 
Gerald Celente – Trends Journal Publisher 
Larry Ward – President of Constitutional Rights PAC 
Scott Stantis – Cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune 
 
The show kicks off with the Editor for The Cradle Esteban Carrillo discussing the Hezbollah leader’s speech on Gaza and Israel, Carrillo also shares his perspective on the Israeli ground invasion circling Gaza City. 
 
ThenTrends Journal Publisher Gerald Celente shares his insights on the House approving $14.5 billion in military aid to Israel. 
 
The second hour begins with President of Constitutional Rights PAC Larry Ward weighing in on a Connecticut judge tossing out the results of a Democratic mayoral primary. 
 
The show closes with Cartoonist Scott Stantis, who touches on the arrest of an Alabama newspaper’s publisher and reporter. Stantis also discusses Hunter Biden’s latest Op-ed. 
 

The Final Countdown – 11/2/23 – Israel Presses Forward in Gaza While Arab World Unifies in Support of Palestine

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss a plethora of topics, including the ongoing ground invasion of Gaza. 
 

Mohamed Gomaa– RT Journalist 

Steve Abramowicz – Owner, CEO of Mill Creek View/Host of Mill Creek View Podcast 

Armen Kurdian – Retired Navy Captain, Former City Council Candidate, Foreign & Domestic Policy Expert 
Dan Kovalik – Human Rights Lawyer 
 
The show kicks off with RT Journalist Mohamed Gomaa breaking down the latest out of Gaza, how Arab World leaders are supporting Palestine, the ongoing Israeli ground invasion, and the future of Netanyahu’s leadership. 
 
Then, Owner and CEO of Mill Creek View Steve Abramowicz, joins The Final Countdown to discuss Biden’s tour of rural America. 
 
The second hour begins with Retired Navy Captain Armen Kurdian joining to discuss the 7,000-person migrant caravan approaching the southern border and the Biden administration’s response. 
 
The show closes with Human Rights Lawyer Dan Kovalik sharing his perspective on RFK Jr. ‘s burgeoning performance in the polls and monetary support from past Trump donors. 
 
 

DMZ America Podcast #123: Passions Flair Over Gaza, Does Dean Phillips’ Presidential Bid Matter? The Weird 14th Amendment Case in Colorado

Passions flair as Editorial Cartoonists Ted Rall (for the Left) and Scott Stantis (for the Right) discuss Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Is Israel practicing self-defense or apartheid? Are the actions of either side even remotely justified? Scott, who supports Israel, and Ted get into it with  verve and more than a little zeal. 
 

Next, they turn to domestic issues to discuss Congressman’s Dean Phillips (D-MN) announcement that he will run for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in the New Hampshire primary and presumably beyond. New Hampshire was a primary President Joe Biden decided to skip. Does Representative Phillips’ campaign matter? (Sidelight: Ted Rall’s short-lived presidential ambitions are dashed by the Congressman’s announcement!) 

Lastly, some folks in Colorado are trying to use an obscure section of the 14th Amendment to keep former President Donald Trump off of the 2024 ballot in Colorado and other states. While neither Ted nor Scott is a MAGA person, they share their strong opinions on this topic. 

Watch the Video Version of the DMZ America Podcast:

DMZ America Podcast Ep 123 Sec 1: Passions Flair Over Gaza

DMZ America Podcast Ep 123 Sec 2: Does Dean Phillips’ Presidential Bid Matter?

DMZ America Podcast Ep 123 Sec 3: The Weird 14th Amendment Case in Colorado

 

The Final Countdown – 10/31/23 – House Republicans Eye IRS Budget Cuts to Fund Israel

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss a wide range of news, including the House GOP unveiling aid to Israel. 
 
Dan Lazare – Independent journalist & author 
Armen Kurdian – Retired Army Captain 
Tyler Nixon – Army Infantry Veteran 
Robert Fantina – Author & journalist 
 
The show kicks off with Independent journalist & author Dan Lazare joining the show to discuss House Republicans releasing a $14.3 billion funding bill to Israel that would cut funding to the IRS. 
 
Then, Retired Army Captain Armen Kurdian weighs in on House Speaker Mike Johnson’s potential investigation into President Joe Biden. 
 
The second hour begins with Army Infantry Veteran Tyler Nixon breaking down the 14th Amendment hearing against Trump’s eligibility to run for president. 
 
The show closes with author & journalist Robert Fantina joining The Final Countdown to discuss the ongoing ground offensive in Gaza and Prime Minister Netanyahu saying that there will be no ceasefire. 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 10/30/23 – Israel Cuts Off Gaza’s Internet Access as Humanitarian Crisis Worsens

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss top news, including the latest out of Gaza. 
 
Issa Amro – Human Rights Activist 
Steve Gill – Attorney & CEO of Gill Media 
Lauren Fix – Auto Expert 
Nebojsa Malic – Serbian-American journalist 
 
The show kicks off with Hebron-based Human Rights Activist Issa Amro sharing his perspective on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the death toll rises as the ground invasion begins. 
 
 Then, Attorney & CEO of Gill Media Steve Gill joins to discuss the latest out of Trump’s legal woes, touching on the 14th amendment trial in Colorado, the reinstated gag order in the election case, and the New York fraud case. 
 
The second hour begins with Auto Expert Lauren Fix sharing her insights on UAW’s tentative agreement with GM, ending the strike against Detroit automakers. 
 
The show closes with journalist Nebojsa Malic breaking down the primary elections, specifically Biden’s no-show at the New Hampshire ballot.  
 
 

Israel Is Not Acting in “Self-Defense”

            “Thou shalt not kill” is probably the oldest and most widespread moral and legal edict in human civilization, common to nearly every culture. However, there is one universal exception: even in countries that prohibit capital punishment and euthanasia, murder is permitted in self-defense.

            At this writing, Israel has murdered more than 7,000 Gazan residents over the last three weeks. Israel and its supports say this bloodbath is justified as self-defense. “Israel has a right to defend itself and its people,” President Biden said on October 7th, hours after Hamas fighters killed more than 1,400 Israelis.

            Is it really “self-defense”?

            Israel is framing its war against Gaza as a nation’s legitimate right, under international law, to defend itself. “We are in a war for our sovereignty, for our existence, and we have set ourselves two fundamental objectives: to eradicate Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities and to do everything possible to bring the hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist group back home,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told TV viewers. “There is no place for a balanced approach. Hamas must be erased off the face of the planet!” added Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

            There is nothing balanced about Israel’s response. Carpet bombing has destroyed nearly half the homes in the Gaza Strip. Israel has killed many times more Palestinian civilians than it lost on October 7th. A ground invasion will unleash more misery and mayhem.

            Reasonable people may disagree over whether Israel’s response is justified or likely to prove effective.

No one should call it self-defense.

            International law clearly governs how a nation like Israel is supposed to respond to an attack like October 7th. Article 51 of the U.N. Charter permits “self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations”—the exact situation here—“until the [U.N.] Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.” As a U.N. member state, Israel should have requested assistance from the Security Council. They still ought to.

            Israel’s claim to self-defense ended hours after the Hamas attack, when the IDF had killed or routed all Hamas fighters on Israeli territory and retaken control of the areas that had previously been overrun. The status quo ante was restored as of October 8th, with the exception of the more than 200 hostages seized from Israel and now held by Hamas in Gaza.

            After Israel secured the areas broached by Hamas, a different body of law applied. Israel’s bombing campaign, which began on October 8th, might only be justified as a preemptive act of self-defense—a military campaign to prevent future terrorist attacks by Hamas. The Bush Administration claimed that its invasion of Iraq fell into this category, but that war clearly failed the so-called “Caroline test” formulated by the U.S. in the 19th century and which now guides international law. In 1837, Secretary of State Daniel Webster declared that a nation-state could only justify the use of military force in a case of imminent threat that was “instant, overwhelming, leaving no choice of means, and no moment of deliberation” and, these conditions being satisfied, military action should be proportional: “nothing unreasonable or excessive; since the act, justified by the necessity of self-defense, must be limited by that necessity, and kept clearly within it.”

Self-defense is not a blank check for unlimited vengeance or retribution. Being angry or insulted or traumatized does not justify revenge. A nation-state is only permitted to apply the bare minimum of force necessary to repel or neutralize a threat.

That’s not what Israel is doing to Gaza. Dropping 8,000 bombs on a tiny densely-populated area, cutting power and communications and indiscriminate assaults are not needed to keep Hamas from reentering Israel. Netanyahu’s stated goal of regime change, toppling the Hamas government, is hardly a bare minimum requirement to reduce the threat to minimal levels. It is maximalist. It is illegal.

It is an obscenity.

If anyone doubted that Israel has already gone far beyond what is permitted under international law, the heated rhetoric of Israel’s leaders and its patron the U.S. make that clear: the State Department sent internal memos to its officials warning them not to use the phrases “de-escalation/ceasefire;” “end to violence/bloodshed” or “restoring calm.”

When you’re censoring calls for calm, you’re probably on the wrong side of the law.

What constitutes self-defense for a nation-state is similar to that for an individual. Laws in the U.S. vary by state; Florida’s “stand your ground” law grants more leeway than New York, which requires you to retreat if possible and only permits you to use deadly force if you believe you or someone else are at imminent risk of physical harm. Basically, though, self-defense as a defense to a murder or manslaughter charge ends when the threat, which must be substantial and likely to occur, ends.

May I kill a robber who points a gun at me? Maybe. The moment he drops his weapon and turns tail, however, the answer is no. If at that point an assailant has hurt and/or robbed me, it is completely understandable that I might want to chase him down and hurt him to get even. It would also be illegal.

What should I do, nothing? No. I should call the cops. For a nation-state the U.N., not Israel or the U.S., is the world’s policeman. Israel should request assistance from the U.N.

Of course, a threat does remain from Hamas. Specifically, Israeli hostages are in danger. Rockets are fired into Israel. But neither justifies carpet-bombing or a ground invasion.

Bombing actually imperils the hostages. Hamas’ primitive rockets without guidance systems kill an average of three Israelis a year. As deplorable and tragic as those killings are, a bombing campaign that has killed over 7,000 people in three weeks is wildly disproportionate under the Caroline test.

The “rules-based international order” has obviously broken down. Who can remember the last time U.N. troops parachuted into a crisis zone in order to establish peace and order, much less did it well? Israel can be forgiven for dismissing that option out of hand. But just because everyone breaks the rules doesn’t mean they’re not still the rules.

What Israel is doing can be characterized in many ways.

But it’s not “self-defense.”

(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 – 10/27/23 – U.S. Launches Heavy Attack on Eastern Syria

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss the top news, including the U.S. striking Syria. 
 

Rory Riley Topping – Legal Analyst at Spectrum News 

Tyler Nixon – Army Infantry Veteran 
Carter Clews – President of Constitutional Rights PAC 
Esteban Carrillo – Editor at The Cradle 
 
The show kicks off with Legal Analyst Rory Riley Topping sharing her legal expertise on the Maine manhunt. 
 
Then, Army Infantry Veteran Tyler Nixon weighs in on Trump’s legal woes, including a judge fining Trump for breaking his gag order in the former President’s fraud trial. Nixon also broke down Special Counsel Jack Smith urging a federal judge to reimpose a partial gag order in the election interference case. 
 
The second hour begins with President of Constitutional Rights PAC Carter Clews sharing his insights on the investigation into Hunter Biden. 
 
The show closes with Editor at The Cradle Esteban Carrilo joining The Final Countdown to talk about the U.S. fighter jets launching airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria, as well as Israeli troops entering Gaza. 
 
 
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