On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss various current events domestically and abroad, including a U.S. congresswoman facing backlash over her expenses.
DMZ America Podcast Ep 132: Middle East War, Could Biden Lose New Hampshire?, Dead Tree Publications Even Deader
Editorial cartoonists and political analysts from the Left (Ted Rall) and the Right (Scott Stantis) discuss and explain the latest news and events in a unique format where disagreement and debate occurs without yelling or stupid insults.
First up this week: War across the Middle East assumes a “Guns of August” vibe as Iran and Pakistan become the latest countries to launch crossborder missile attacks, with the victims being ethnic Balochis. Ted lays out how Iran is emerging as the big winner from the Israel-Hamas War. Scott pushes back from the American perspective, questioning whether the Islamic Republic is committing diplomatic suicide.
Second: The 2024 Presidential Campaign moves from Iowa to the bizarre New Hampshire primary, which is being skipped both by President Biden and Governor Ron DeSantis. All GOP eyes will soon turn to South Carolina—will the Palmetto State be the last stand for Haley, or DeSantis, or both? Meanwhile, New Hampshire threatens to torpedo Biden for his Big Snub.
Third topic: More depressing news from the world of dead trees, where the Washington Post is losing $100 million a year and the Los Angeles Times is down $50 million despite their deep-pocketed and supposedly brilliant owners. Ted asks Scott, who has worked at numerous papers, why can’t these supposed genius billionaires turn these sinking watchdogs of democracy around?
Watch the Video version of the DMZ America Podcast: here.
The Final Countdown – 1/18/24 – Under Scrutiny: Roger Stone Faces Investigation Over Alleged ‘Assassination’ Remarks
On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall cover a range of topics domestically and abroad including Roger Stone’s alleged death threats to Democrats.
The Final Countdown – 1/11/24 – South Africa Takes Israel to Court for War Crimes in Gaza
On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall break down topics from around the world, including South Africa
DMZ America Podcast #130: Another Ivy League President Fired, Israel Gone Wild and America’s 250th Birthday
In the first DMZ America Podcast of 2024, editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) discuss the world in politics and current events.
First, Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard University after drawing criticism for failing to clearly condemn antisemitism at a Congressional hearing, and then being exposed as allegedly having plagiarized dozens of times in her academic career. Right-wing conservatives are celebrating having claimed a scalp and dealt a blow against DEI, but should liberals mourn her departure?
Second, Israel claims responsibility for the drone assassination of a leader of Hamas in a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. On the same day, two bombs killed over 100 people attending a memorial service for an Iranian general assassinated by an American drone in 2020. Are the two events linked? Will there be repercussions in the form of a larger regional conflict?
Finally, we are coming up to the 250th anniversary of America. It’s anybody’s guess what it will be called.
Watch the Video Version of the DMZ America Podcast here.
DMZ America Podcast #121: Israel Playing Into Hamas’ Plans, House Speaker Crisis, Biden’s Terrifying Speech
Editorial Cartoonists Ted Rall (from the political Left) and Scott Stantis (from the political Right) discuss national and international events of the week.
First up: as we enter the third week of the war between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip, there are rising fears of regional escalation. Has Hezbollah agreed to open a second front against Israel? Will Iran attack Israel? How long will it take Israel to overthrow the Hamas government and what kind of regime do they plan to install if and when they succeed? Right now, it looks like they are poised to repeat the mistakes America made in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
In the second segment of the podcast, Ted and Scott discuss the constitutional crisis created by the Republican Party’s inability to choose a Speaker of the House of Representatives. Steve, Scalise and Jim Jordan are both out. Will the speakership ultimately wind up in the hands of an obscure congressman? In the meantime, congressional business has ground to a standstill.
Finally, Ted and Scott react to President Biden’s second Oval Office speech since he became president. Squinting, unable to read the Teleprompter, tripping over his words and slurring, this was an extremely disturbing performance that seems to belie Democrats’ claim that he is a viable candidate for 2024. Will he resign? Step aside mid-campaign? Or try to muddle through somehow to reelection? Scott and Ted also discuss the substance of Biden’s speech: his attempt to link the Ukraine and Israel conflicts.
Watch the Video Version of the DMZ America Podcast:
DMZ America Podcast Ep 121 Sec 1: Israel Playing Into Hamas’ Plans
DMZ America Podcast Ep 121 Sec 2: House Speaker Crisis
DMZ America Podcast Ep 121 Sec 3: Biden’s Terrifying Speech
The Final Countdown – 9/13/23 – Poor Coverage of Biden Impeachment Inquiry Raises Questions Regarding Trump’s Treatment
Chris Widener – Motivational Speaker & Writer
The Final Countdown – 7/19/23 – Meta’s Threads Experiences Setbacks After Hot Start
On this episode of The Final Countdown, the hosts Ted Rall and Manila Chan discuss hot topics, such as Threads’ setbacks.
Armen Kurdian: Retired Navy Captain, Entrepreneur, Investor
Ted Harvey: Former State Senator in Colorado
Steve Gill: Attorney and CEO of Gill Media
Mohammad Marandi: Professor, University of Tehran
The show kicks off with Armen Kurdian, Retired Navy Captain, Entrepreneur, and Investor to discuss the FBI investigation of the Biden family.
In the second half of the first hour, the hosts speak with Former State Senator of Colorado Ted Harvey, Joe Manchin’s No Labels appearance.
The first half of the second hour is joined by Attorney and CEO Steve Gill to discuss Tucker Carlson’s deal with Public Square and the social media court ruling.
The show closes with Mohammad Marandi, an English literature professor at the University of Tehran, to discuss the U.S. envoy to Iran’s criminal charges.
The Final Countdown – 6/15/23 – Grand Jury to Indict Daniel Penny in Jordan Neely Chokehold Death
Angie Wong: Journalist
Erdogan Retains Turkish Presidency While Kosovo Witnesses Upheaval
In the first half hour, the hosts were joined by Conservative commentator and Cohost of Fault Lines Melik Abdul to discuss the debt ceiling deal.