DeProgram: “Trump’s 100 Days & 2028 Dems”

LIVE 2 pm Eastern Time & Streaming On Demand Afterward:

Dive into “DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou” as they unpack the high-stakes developments of Donald Trump’s first 100 days. With incisive clarity, they analyze today’s newly released economic figures, decoding their implications for America’s trajectory—growth or decline?

The hosts explore the heating 2028 Democratic presidential race, where Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo just announced her candidacy, joining potential contenders like Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Shapiro, and Pete Buttigieg in a fierce battle to shape the party’s future.

The episode intensifies with breaking news on Trump’s deportation policies: the president’s newly-admitted defiance in refusing to retrieve Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador’s brutal CECOT prison, despite court orders, ignites a constitutional crisis. Meanwhile, a federal judge’s ruling to free Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student activist detained by ICE over pro-Palestinian protests, raises critical questions about free speech and government overreach.

Rall and Kiriakou deliver unflinching commentary, exposing the human and political toll of these unfolding dramas. From economic fault lines to immigration battles, this episode is essential listening for those craving truth amid the chaos. Expect bold perspectives and a challenge to question the status quo in this 60-minute deep dive. Catch DeProgram now on all major podcast platforms—don’t miss this electrifying discussion!

TMI Show Ep 126: “Free Speech Under Attack”

LIVE 10 AM Eastern time + Streaming On Demand:

Join Ted Rall and Manila Chan on “The TMI Show” for a riveting episode featuring Jeff Dornik, CEO of Pickax, dissecting threats to free speech in tech. This urgent discussion unravels the forces reshaping digital discourse, delivering sharp insights for defenders of open dialogue.

Dornik’s expertise exposes how tech giants and regulations suffocate expression.

The episode ties to breaking news, analyzing the Pentagon’s controversial replacement of mainstream media with pro-Trump outlets in its press corps, sparking debates over media access and bias.

Further, they address X’s new content moderation policies under fire for allegedly throttling dissenting voices, as reported in tech blogs.
The episode examines a leaked memo from a leading social media platform, reportedly Meta, outlining plans to shadowban content labeled “divisive” by its algorithms. Exposed by tech whistleblowers and detailed in outlets like TechCrunch, the memo revealed intentions to suppress posts on polarizing topics like immigration and election integrity, sparking accusations of censorship and fueling distrust among users.

With the tech world reeling from a former Disney employee’s hack exposing safety system flaws, the stakes for digital freedom soar. Expect a rigorous, unfiltered exchange that challenges norms and arms viewers with insights to navigate this crisis. Rall and Chan’s incisive hosting blends intellectual rigor with pressing relevance, making this episode essential for anyone committed to safeguarding free speech. Don’t miss this compelling call to action—watch now and engage in the fight for open discourse!

ChatGPT Is Disappearing Its Enemies

People worry about generative artificial intelligence.

Some are afraid it will put them out of work. Others think AI could become too autonomous, like the drones programmed to select their own targets. It will almost certainly accelerate the spread and power of government surveillance. Deep fakes are already being used in efforts to impact public opinion in politics.

Add another reason to keep awake at night: AI could “unperson” you.

Under Stalin the Soviet Union disappeared not only anti-government dissidents but evidence that they had ever existed, famously airbrushing those who had fallen out of favor out of official photos. Retro-engineering history was the inspiration for Orwell’s main character in 1984, who toils at a government ministry in charge of rewriting the past. Eliminating an enemy of the state is one thing; ensuring that their ideas can never inspire anyone in the future by erasing them from history is especially sinister.

The Internet has replaced print newspapers as the first draft of history. Traditional web search engines like Google are increasingly powered by AI. Many people are currently using AI large language models like ChatGPT in lieu of Google. But ChatGPT is not trustworthy, and the problem isn’t merely its tendency to “hallucinate” things that aren’t true. Nor is ChatGPT’s parent company, OpenAI—because it’s abusing its power to unperson its enemies.

I know. I’m one of them.

Type my name into ChatGPT and it’ll respond like a confused robot in a 1960s sci-fi show that shouts “does not compute” as smoke pours out of its ears. “Tell me about Ted Rall” gets you “I’m unable to produce a response.” Try reverse-engineering a response by asking it who did something I did, like win a certain prize or write a particular book; it either lies or refuses to answer. It’s that determined not to admit that I exist.

What did I do to piss off Sam Altman or someone else at ChatGPT (I don’t know who, they won’t answer my emails)? I wrote a 2023 op-ed titled “ChatGPT Libeled Me. Can I Sue?” for The Wall Street Journal about how their AI lied about me. I hoped to get their attention so they’d fix the problem. Instead, they shipped me off to a cyber-gulag.

OpenAI won’t get back to me, so I asked Elon Musk’s generative AI app Grok if I might pay a price career-wise. It replied: “If ChatGPT, used by millions weekly (e.g., 300 million by 2024), refuses to acknowledge you, it could reduce your discoverability. New readers researching ‘Ted Rall’ via AI might find nothing, assuming you’re obscure or irrelevant, especially younger audiences (16–30) reliant on AI tools.”

However, a fellow cartoonist who still has access to ChatGPT (they blocked my account too) got into an interesting, albeit circuitous conversation with the bot over my situation, even as it refused to say my name: “You’re saying he wrote one article in a newspaper, criticized OpenAI, and that alone got him erased? If that’s the full story, that’s deeply troubling. Open societies, and even organizations that value innovation, should be able to handle criticism—especially from thoughtful people.”

My colleague asked to remain anonymous “so they don’t disappear me lol.”

OpenAI’s enemies list is growing. Writing in The Hill in December, George Washington University law professor and TV legal expert Jonathan Turley noted that he had joined “a small group of individuals who have been effectively disappeared by the AI system,” including Harvard Professor Jonathan Zittrain, CNBC anchorperson David Faber, Australian mayor Brian Hood and English professor David Mayer, now deceased yet still unpersoned. As with me, Turley’s banishment was apparently triggered by his writing that he had been defamed by ChatGPT. “The common thread [in these unpersonings] appears to be the false stories generated about us all by ChatGPT in the past,” Turley says. “The company appears to have corrected the problem not by erasing the error but erasing the individuals in question.”  Zittrain, however, wrote in The Atlantic that he has no idea why ChatGPT “appears to release a guillotine” after someone enters his name.

In Europe, privacy advocates achieved a legal “right to be forgotten,” deleting search results that are inaccurate and needlessly distressing, like news accounts of an arrest for a crime in which a suspect was later found innocent. Here in America, individuals need a right not to be disappeared from the public record at the whim of a capricious corporation that refuses to answer any questions. (I contacted OpenAI for comment about this piece. They didn’t reply.)

ChatGPT is projected to control one percent of the search market within this year. So I’ll still be discoverable 99% of the time. Still, this current sliver is growing fast. It seems to me that some higher authority—the government, what else?—ought to nip this novel form of censorship in the bud before it expands to full-fledged Orwellian dystopia.

(Ted Rall, the political cartoonist, columnist and graphic novelist, co-hosts the left-vs-right DMZ America podcast with fellow cartoonist Scott Stantis and The TMI Show with political analyst Manila Chan. Subscribe: tedrall.Substack.com.)

ChatGPT Caught Silencing Critics

Has Big Tech gone full Orwell? Cartoonist Ted Rall says he’s been digitally ‘unpersoned’ by ChatGPT, seemingly for the crime of criticizing OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. Go ahead, ask ChatGPT about Ted Rall—you’ll get nothing but silence. Suspicious, Rall dug deeper and uncovered a disturbing pattern: OpenAI appears to be systematically erasing critics from its AI’s responses, a move straight out of 1984’s playbook. This isn’t just about one cartoonist—it’s a glaring red flag for free speech. If a powerful company like OpenAI can quietly suppress dissent in its AI systems, what’s stopping Big Tech from controlling the narrative everywhere? Rall’s discovery raises tough questions: Can we trust tech giants to protect open discourse, or are they building a future where criticism vanishes into a digital void? As AI shapes our world, this chilling censorship tactic suggests we’re on a slippery slope—unless we demand answers now.

TMI Show Ep 107: “Banned For NonViolence”

In this episode of The TMI Show, hosts Ted Rall and Manila Chan dive into a controversial topic shaking up social media and the political sphere. Peter Coffin, co-director of the Center for Political Innovation (CPI), faced a recent suspension from the Bluesky social media platform after voicing criticism over a surge of vandalism targeting Tesla vehicles nationwide. They explore the incident that sparked Coffin’s ban, the broader implications for free speech online, and the rising tensions surrounding Tesla vandalism in the United States. Ted Rall, a syndicated political cartoonist, and Manila Chan, a seasoned journalist, bring their signature insight to this timely discussion. Catch it on YouTube and Rumble for an unfiltered take on this unfolding story.

Trump’s ICE Abductions

Trump’s ICE is snatching people like Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist, and a Georgetown University postgrad from city streets, leaving their partners in anguish and confusion. Khalil, a legal resident, was taken from his apartment, his pregnant wife unaware of his fate for days. The Georgetown student vanished similarly, sparking fears of a broader crackdown. These abductions, tied to political speech, signal an authoritarian shift, as loved ones scramble for answers amid silence from authorities.

Egg Prices Soar, Free Speech Sinks

Consumers obsess over inflation; like egg prices topping $4; but barely notice a green card holder’s arrest for peacefully criticizing Israel. The contrast is sharp: grocery hikes since 2022 spark loud gripes; while a free-speech crackdown gets muted shrugs. Eggs hit wallets daily; tracked by CPI; the detention feels remote; abstract. Economic woes drown out systemic overreach; showing how personal costs overshadow eroded rights.

ICE Arrest of Green Card Holder Signals Crackdown on Israel Critics

The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, by ICE agents expecting a student visa reveals a chilling escalation in the Trump DHS’s targeting of Israel critics. This assault on free speech suggests even citizenship may not protect dissenters, as the administration prioritizes silencing opposition over constitutional rights. The incident underscores a growing threat to personal freedoms, challenging the security of legal status in the face of authoritarian overreach.

TMI Show Ep 84: Media Mayhem: the Trump Effect?

Live at 10 am Eastern/9 am Central time, and Streaming 24-7 Thereafter:

Even before the election, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times read Trump’s polls and censored their own Kamala endorsements. Then the tech bros who run social media donated to his inaugural. ABC News and Meta decided to punt in court and pay out big defamation claims Trump would probably have lost–were they bribes?Is Trump’s bullying chilling the media? It certainly looks like it. MSNBC has canceled Joy Reid’s primetime TV show. In another indication that journalists are under siege, a Mississippi judge ordered a newspaper to take down an editorial.On “The TMI Show” Ted Rall and Manila Chan, fresh from CPAC–where the big names didn’t bother to engage reporters–discuss the muzzling of the news media, the watchdog of democracy.

DMZ America Podcast Ep 188: Ann Telnaes Quits Washington Post

Free speech is in the news! Editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (on the Left) and Scott Stantis (on the Right) discuss the high-profile departure of their colleague, Pulitzer-winning political cartoonist Ann Telnaes, from The Washington Post. Meta and Facebook are getting rid of their fact checkers. And TikTok is begging the Supreme Court for its life.


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