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The war between Israel and Iran grinds on, and “The TMI Show with Ted Rall and Manila Chan” is on top of it! Yesterday, Israel bombed northern Tehran, targeting the headquarters of Iranian state television during a live broadcast, setting the news facility ablaze hours after issuing an evacuation warning for the neighborhood. Israel claims that the TV building concealed military infrastructure, but no independent verification backs this up. The bombing of journalists followed Israel’s attack on Quds Force HQ, part of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, after four days of intense missile exchanges between the two countries. At least 224 people were killed by the Israelis and 1,400 wounded in Iran, 24 dead and 600 injured in Israel. Tensions are sky-high as Netanyahu is even saying he may assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, while the U.S. slaps a “do not travel” warning on Israel. What’s driving this dangerous spiral, and what’s next for the Middle East? Tune in for a no-holds-barred breakdown of the facts, controversies, and global stakes.

Plus:

Trump pushes for Russia, maybe China, to join the G7, stirring debate over authoritarian regimes in a democratic club.

Scientists uncover a genetic link to autism, revealing a faulty brain “maintenance” system that could unlock new treatments.

All 50 states secure a $7.4B settlement with Purdue Pharma over its role in the opioid crisis, funding addiction programs.

 

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Happy Monday! It’s time for “The TMI Show with Ted Rall and Manila Chan,” catching you up with the latest in the war between Iran and Israel. Iranian missiles slammed into Tel Aviv and Haifa, leveling homes and sparking alarm at the G7 summit—and glee among supporters of the Palestinians. In Petah Tikva, a residential building was scorched, windows shattered, and apartments wrecked, with four elderly residents killed and 87 injured. In the northern city of Haifa, 30 were wounded as fires raged near a power plant.

Iran’s state TV said the country fired over 100 missiles, retaliating for Israel’s surprise attack against Tehran’s nuclear research facilities and assassinations of top military officials. The Revolutionary Guards claimed that a new Iranian tactic fooled Israel’s defense systems. World leaders fear a wider Middle East war. Ted, who is a rare American to have visited Iran, and Manila unpack the stakes, controversies, and what’s next in this high-stakes showdown.

Plus:

• Trump’s new “gold card” website lures rich foreigners with fast-track U.S. citizenship for big bucks, replacing the EB-5 visa.
• Labor union giants Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders resign from the DNC, slamming new chairman Ken Martin for shrinking the party’s big tent.
• Rare immune reactions to others’ bodies—like semen allergies or PATM—baffle scientists, with toluene and external allergens as possible culprits.

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For decades, both U.S. political parties have maintained an open or porous U.S.-Mexico border. Republicans supported this due to their big business allies’ preference for cheap labor, which suppressed wages. Democrats assumed, incorrectly, that migrants’ U.S.-born children would reliably vote Democratic. Although illegal immigrants violated the law, enforcement was lax. Now, millions who were implicitly encouraged to enter are abruptly being treated as if they were terrorists who infiltrated the country.

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Today on the “DeProgram show” with political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, we’re deprogramming you from the MSM BS that confuses more than it clarifies. First, we explore day three of the Iran-Israel conflict. Will Iran rush to obtain nuclear weapons? Can Trump, Putin or China negotiate a ceasefire? Will the conflict spread? Ted and John examine the stakes and the days ahead.

Next, the targeted shootings of Minnesota lawmakers Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, both high-ranking Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party legislators, raise chilling questions about political violence. As prominent DFL leaders—Hortman as House Speaker Emerita and Hoffman as a key senator—their shared party ties and legislative roles suggest a possible political motive, though details remain unclear.

Finally, Sean O’Brien, founder of Yale Privacy Lab, joins to discuss his startup’s groundbreaking work protecting digital privacy against pervasive surveillance.

“Deprogram” delivers unflinching analysis of war, political violence, and the fight for personal freedom.

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As the world teeters on the brink, the “DeProgram” show with political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, tackle two explosive global stories.

First, Israel’s airstrikes on over 100 Iranian targets, including nuclear facilities and missile sites, killed senior commanders like IRGC’s Hossein Salami and top scientists, prompting the Iranian government to call Israel’s aggression a “declaration of war.” Iran retaliated with over 100 drones, while Trump, praising the “excellent” strikes while in an awkward position because he asked Israel not to proceed, urged Iran to negotiate a nuclear deal or face “more brutal” attacks. We the geopolitical fallout. How will these Middle East tensions affect the Shia-Sunni divide, and oil prices? The U.S. claims it wasn’t involved but Teheran doesn’t believe them. What are the risks of U.S. entanglement? Was this the end of the Oman-based nuclear talks? How will the attacks play in Israel domestically? What is the effect in Palestine?

Next, we shift to the U.S., where major anti-Trump “No Kings” and anti-deportation protests are set for tomorrow. Fueled by Trump’s brutal immigration crackdowns, these demonstrations signal growing resistance spreading across the nation. With cities bracing for unrest, Rall and Kiriakou explore the protests’ roots, their potential to reshape the political landscape, and the broader fight over America’s identity. 

Join the DeProgram show with political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou for unfiltered analysis that cuts through mainstream narratives.

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We’re kicking off “The TMI Show” with Israel’s explosive attack against Iran, launched overnight. Israeli airstrikes hit Iran’s nuclear sites, risking radiation releases, and assassinating top Iranian military officials like IRGC chief Hossein Salami and scientists, shaking the Middle East to its core. The U.S. denied having anything to do with the attacks and Trump is presumed to have disapproved, but will the US leave Israel on its own to deal with the inevitable Iranian retaliation? Israel says it’s a preemptive strike to stop a nuclear weapon, but it may also sabotage Trump’s Iran talks. In Israel, this looks like a new gambit to keep Netanyahu in power. With tensions boiling and retaliation on the horizon, this geopolitical showdown is essential to understand.

Then, we’re diving into Trump’s ongoing push for mass deportations, facing fierce resistance in the courts and streets as families and businesses are ripped apart by unidentified goons who claim to work for ICE. Joined by guest Susan Pai, this segment tackles the legal battles and public protests challenging the policy. Susan Pai is an experienced immigration attorney with over 26 years of legal expertise, focusing on immigration law, business law, estate planning, and guardianships, and has a background as a former Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and Public Defender in Washington.

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People who support Israel, no matter what it does, tend to hang their hats on a series of familiar arguments. Israel, they say, is the only place Jews can live in security. Critics of Israel want to eliminate Israel. The abolition of Israel would render Israeli Jews homeless (ethnic cleansing), or they would be killed (genocide). Therefore, anyone who criticizes Israel—any anti-Zionist, anyone appalled by Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians—is, by definition, anti-Semitic.

Let’s take these assumptions one at a time, beginning with the shibboleth of Israel As Safe Haven. “I think without Israel, there’s not a Jew in the world that’s secure. I think Israel is essential,” President Biden, a strident Zionist, said to Bibi Netanyahu in 2023. He’s wrong. Whatever good Israel provides to Jewish people, it does not include protecting them from physical harm.

Roughly half the world’s Jews (7.2 million, three out of four Israelis) live in Israel compared to 8 million in other countries. Between 2015 and 2024, about 1,755 Jewish deaths in Israel were attributed to terrorism and armed conflict. Annualized, this comes to about 0.024% of Israel’s Jewish population (1,755 deaths out of 7.2 million). During the same period, about 24 Jewish deaths outside Israel were attributed to anti-Semitic terrorism or hate crimes, averaging about 2.4 deaths per year. This is roughly 0.0003% of the global Jewish diaspora (24 deaths out of 8 million).

Israeli prime minister Golda Meir is quoted as having said: “We Jews have a secret weapon in our struggle with the Arabs; we have no place to go.” Actually, statistics say, Jews ought to go anywhere but Israel. Jews in Israel are 73 times more likely to be murdered due to terrorism, hate crimes, or armed conflict than in the diaspora. Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack skews this heavily, but Israel is much riskier even in baseline years.

Pro-Israel lobbying groups such as the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League claim that the Palestinian rallying cry “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is genocidally anti-Semitic because “it calls for the establishment of a State of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, erasing the State of Israel and its people.” In this telling, “State” and “people” are one and the same—their fate, at least. Yet the ash-heap of history is littered with nation-states that no longer exist, without genocidal consequences. Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Hawaii, the Republic of Texas, South Vietnam, East Germany and the Soviet Union were erased; their peoples lived on.

It is entirely possible to imagine a Republic of Palestine where Jews, Arabs and other groups live peacefully side by side, in a democracy. As Edward Said pointed out, that’s how it was for centuries in Ottoman Palestine. “Real peace,” Said wrote in 1999, “can come only with a binational Israeli-Palestinian state.”

There are counterfactuals. The invasions and annexations of Armenia, Tibet and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic led to genocides. But those are exceptions, not the rule. The argument that the end of Israel as a Jewish state and a British-inspired settler colonial project would necessarily lead to ethnic cleansing or worse is ahistorical.

Besides, not everyone who backs the Palestinians is out to get Israel. 20% to 35% of pro-Palestinian voters support a one-state solution that might effectively abolish Israel as a Jewish-majority state. 50% to 60% want Israel to change its policies, with a two-state solution, ending settlements, and/or improving human rights. Even if you think the fates of Israel and Israeli Jews are intertwined—and that’s a huge stretch—equating criticism of Israel with a desire for a second Shoah is unfair.

The underpinnings of political support for Israel in the United States stem from its founding in 1948, a few years after the Holocaust. To many Americans, it made (and still makes) sense to create a homeland for a people uniquely persecuted for centuries. Few gave a passing thought to the Palestinians who already lived there. Fewer still asked why people who had nothing to do with World War II should give up their land, as opposed to, say, Germany.

Whatever logic justified U.S. support in 1948 for the creation of a Jewish ethno-state has evaporated after nearly a century of apartheid, injustice, brutality and war. Israel is dangerous for Jews who live there and it’s a toxic driver of global anti-Semitism everywhere else. Even if you don’t care about the Palestinians—if your only concern is for the Jews who survived the Holocaust—Israel no longer makes sense.

(Ted Rall, the political cartoonist, columnist and graphic novelist, is the author of “Never Mind the Democrats. Here’s WHAT’S LEFT.” Subscribe: tedrall.Substack.com.

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Supporters of Israel rely on numerous questionable assumptions to justify their support for the genocide that has slaughtered 200,000 innocent Palestinians. They assert Israel has an inherent right to exist (no country does), acts solely in self-defense (obviously untrue), ought not to face limits on what it calls retaliation (absurd), commits no war crimes (the ICJ disagrees), and that anti-Zionism is the same as anti-Semitism (there are many anti-Zionist Jews). As the gruesome war against Gaza continues, these once persuasive claims appear increasingly fragile, collapsing like a house of cards. A UN report accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza, citing 8,000 civilian deaths just since the conflict recently escalated after Israel broke the ceasefire. Protests in London recently drew 500,000 people condemning Israeli actions, showing that support for the Jewish state is declining amid growing global scrutiny and shifting public opinion on Israel. The blank check given to Israel in 1948 has been overdrawn.

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Today on “The TMI Show with Ted Rall and Manila Chan, we’re exploring animal rights. Should animals be granted legal status? If so, which animals and why? The “Happy the Elephant” lawsuit, launched by the Nonhuman Rights Project, fought for Happy, an Asian elephant at the Bronx Zoo since 1977. Living alone since 2006, Happy’s self-awareness—proven by passing a mirror test—sparked the NhRP’s habeas corpus petition, demanding that she receive legal personhood and be transfered to a sanctuary where she would be, well, happier. They argued that her isolation and cramped space were unlawful imprisonment. The Bronx Zoo fought back, insisting Happy is well-cared-for and not alone, calling the suit a stunt. Courts, including New York’s highest in 2022, rejected Happy’s claim, ruling that habeas corpus is for humans only, though dissenters pushed for Happy’s rights. Is animal personhood a legitimate civil rights movement, or a slippery slope? Elephants’ established intelligence—tool use, epic memory, empathy—fuel the debate, alongside landmark cases like Sandra the Orangutan’s. Don’t miss this deep dive into animal rights and legal limits!

Plus:

• Today’s Loving Day celebrates the 1967 Supreme Court ruling legalizing interracial marriage, sparked by Richard and Mildred Loving’s fight.
• An Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad kills hundreds, including students, after hitting a medical college dining hall. It’s a Boeing 787.
• Israel is gearing up for a potential Iran strike, risking Middle East chaos and Trump’s nuclear deal.

 

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Never a dull moment on the DeProgram show with political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, dissecting three pivotal issues! First, they dive into ICE’s aggressive deportation sweeps, with over 100,000 arrests since January. Anti-ICE protests are erupting in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York City against mass deportations, leading to violent clashes with police and National Guard, prompting Los Angeles to impose a curfew. Is this a replay of Nixon’s “Silent Majority” vs. Hippies…and of Kent State?

Next, John and Ted turn to Iran’s nuclear standoff,as Tehran rejects a U.S. proposal allowing limited uranium enrichment. Iran’s counterproposal, presented via Oman, demands continued domestic uranium enrichment at 3.67% and calls for Israel to dismantle its undeclared nuclear arsenal for a “nuke-free Middle East.” Tehran insists on guaranteed economic benefits and criticizes the U.S. offer for lacking clarity on sanctions.

Finally, will the last one to leave the US turn out the lights? Between the low birth rate, mass deportations and now a post-Trump exodus, will anyone be left? American emigration has increased, with 5.4 million U.S. citizens living abroad in 2024, up from 4.4 million in 2020, marking a 22.7% rise driven by political, economic, and social factors. The trend accelerated post-2024 election, with 53% of millionaires and growing numbers of middle-class families citing instability and policy shifts as reasons for leaving.

Join Ted Rall’s pointed commentary and John Kiriakou’s insider expertise for a fearless breakdown of these stories.

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Today, it’s a thought-provoking episode of “The TMI Show”! Political cartoonist and columnist Ted Rall brings his razor-sharp perspective to the forefront with his provocative thesis: Israel Is Dangerous for Jews. This isn’t just talk—this is a deep dive into a topic and longstanding assumptions that turn out to have been totally false. Rall tackles the long-held belief that Israel is the ultimate safe haven for Jewish people, armed with stark statistics: 1,755 Jewish people have died from hate crimes and terrorism in Israel during 2015-2024 (0.024% of its Jewish population) versus just 24 in the diaspora (0.0003%). That’s a 73-times higher risk, and even though the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack contributed, it’s still far more dangerous to be Jewish in Israel than anywhere else.

Ted challenges the narrative that pro-Palestinian activists want Jews to be killed if Israel dissolves, pointing to historical examples like Austria-Hungary’s dissolution without mass killings, and references Edward Said’s vision of a binational peace and a one-state solution. The controversy heats up as Rall questions U.S. support rooted in 1948 post-Holocaust logic, now strained by decades of conflict. Israel, it turns out, is making life worse for Jews.

Joined by co-host Manila Chan, this episode promises unfiltered insights into Zionist arguments, pro-Palestinian perspectives, and the messy reality of the Middle East. Whether you’re pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, or just here for the truth, this is must-see TV. Tune in, share your thoughts, and let’s get real about one of the world’s toughest issues.

Plus:

• At least 10 people were killed and 12 wounded in a mass shooting at a high school in Graz, Austria, marking the deadliest attack in the country’s postwar history.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced 4,000 National Guard troops will remain in Los Angeles for 60 days at a cost of $134M, amid a proposed $831.5B FY 2026 defense budget.
• The U.S. and China agreed on a trade deal framework in London to implement a May 12 tariff pause, potentially easing rare earth mineral export tensions.

 

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As part of a deliberate strategy to keep adversaries off-balance, the Trump Administration floods the news cycle with wild and controversial policy decisions and public statements, like mass deportations, expelling foreign students, and imposing travel bans—often harsh and cruel. The blizzard of state violence is entertaining. But it also causes widespread stress. These moves will only intensify, making us even crazier. The constant barrage leaves the public grappling with uncertainty, fear, and division, with no relief in sight..and any of us could be next.

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Tune into an essential episode of “The TMI Show with hosts Ted Rall and Manila Chan,” tackling the explosive unrest in Los Angeles that’s gripping the nation. Protests against aggressive immigration raids have spiraled into chaos, with burned cars, looted stores, and fireworks hurled at the LAPD. President Trump’s deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops, bypassing a governor for the first time since LBJ used them to desegregate Southern schools in 1965, has ignited a firestorm. Newsom is suing to reclaim control of the Guard, saying the LAPD had the situation under control before troops made things worse. Will Trump escalate even more and invoke the Insurrection Act to unleash active-duty Marines from Camp Pendleton, now on high alert? Or will Newsom’s legal challenge work?

The violence, sparked by random ICE raids targeting Latino communities, has seen flash-bang grenades and tear gas deployed against crowds blocking freeways and surrounding federal buildings. With tensions flaring in Paramount and Compton, will the chaos spread as the workweek begins, or can local leaders like Mayor Bass restore calm? The political stakes are massive—Trump’s calling protesters “insurrectionists,” while the governor and mayor urge peaceful resistance to deny Trump a pretext for more force. Internationally, the crackdown’s optics could strain diplomatic ties.

We have unmatched insight from three SoCal personalities: Manila, raised in East LA, Ted, a former Los Angeles Times cartoonist and KFI radio host, and guest Scott Stantis, The Chicago Tribune cartoonist from south of LA. They’ll unpack why this erupted, what’s next, and how it could reshape the nation’s political landscape.

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Emmanuel Macron was the victim of a physical assault by his wife Brigitte on international TV. She slapped and shoved the French president’s face on a plane in Hanoi, prompting countless jokes but little discussion of male victims of domestic violence and gender. Sad, since men are abused by their wives and girlfriends at similar rates to the other way around. Is Macron a battered husband? Maybe, even if Elysee Palace brushed off the violence as playful fun between a loving couple. But even if he were to look for support, there are very few resources for straight male victims. Society overlooks such cases or worse, makes fun of them. A French gym even used an AI image of a bruised Macron to promote self-defense classes for men, for example. Family courts grant custody to accused abusers 70% of the time, and male survivors get little sympathy. If a woman can beat up the president on France on TV without consequence, there is little hope.

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Join us for “DeProgram,” delving into the most pressing issues with unflinching clarity. On the “DeProgram show with political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou,”  we dissect the deportation firestorm surrounding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man mistakenly deported to El Salvador and the subject to a Supreme Court order, now back in the U.S.—but he’s facing new human smuggling charges after a legal battle in which the White House blew off the courts. Are the charges fair? What about his having been denied due process for months? Next, we unpack the chaotic clash in Los Angeles between ICE agents and protesters, sparked by aggressive enforcement and Trump’s latest travel ban. Trump won with a promise to do just this, but is a sense of chaos and mayhem undermining law and order?

Tesla’s stock is shown resilience amid the Trump-Musk feud, following a volatile period due to the public spat. The feud, centered on a spending bill dispute, saw Trump call Musk “crazy” and Musk propose an “America Party,” but there’s possible de-escalation after a White House call.

We also tackle the Proud Boys’ lawsuit challenging January 6th prosecutions, alleging political targeting in a case that could reshape legal accountability for the Capitol riot after the plaintiffs were already prosecuted.

Shifting to global crises, we explore the collapse of Gaza’s joint US-Israeli aid distribution system amid escalating violence, leaving millions in despair and humanitarian efforts in chaos.

Finally, we delve into groundbreaking medical news: could mRNA technology, the basis for COVID vaccines, unlock a cure for HIV? This potential breakthrough could transform global health. 

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It’s a wild episode of “The TMI Show with hosts Ted Rall and Manila Chan,” as we break down the explosive verbal meltdown between Elon Musk and Donald Trump! Everyone knew this bromance had to end—but the breakup is even uglier than anyone would have guessed, and it’s impacting tech, finance and the national budget. Musk, the tech titan behind X and Tesla, escalated their feud by claiming Trump would have lost the 2024 election without him, calling him ungrateful and implying the president was implicated in Jeffrey Epstein’s pedophilia. And he’s still slamming Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” as a “disgusting abomination”—giving cover to Republican Senators who are having second thoughts.

Trump claims he fired Musk from his role at DOGE—unlikely considering all the praise a week ago—saying Musk was “wearing thin” and “went crazy” after Trump removed an EV mandate, accusing him of being upset over lost subsidies and H1B visas. He threatened to terminate billions in Musk’s government contracts and subsidies, calling it the “easiest way” to save money, and suggested Musk had “Trump Derangement Syndrome.

The feud’s roots go back to Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy clashing against populist MAGA GOPers over immigration. This schism has it all—betrayal, power plays, and a fractured GOP coalition teetering on the edge.

TMI unpacks how this brawl could reshape alliances, policies, and the political landscape.

Plus:

Has tipping culture gone too far? From 30% tips to iPad prompts at every counter, Americans are fed up with “tip creep.” “The TMI Show” tackles why tipping’s spiraling out of control, who’s profiting, and what it means for workers and consumers. Tune in for a serious look at a system pushing wallets—and patience—to the limit.

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Artificial Intelligence—especially Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), an AI system capable of understanding, learning, and making decisions with human-like awareness and autonomy—poses an existential threat to humanity, not only in terms of replacing humans on the job but in a possible SkyNet-like scenario in which robots choose their own targets and decide to start killing us. That’s not sci-fi paranoia. A Nobel Prize-winning AI pioneer warned of a 10-20% chance of human extinction from AI within decades. Tech leaders, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Wozniak, have sounded the alarm, estimating a 20% chance of AI-driven “annihilation” and asked Congress to regulate the industry. If the history of disruptive innovations like cigarettes, automatic weapons, automobiles, nuclear weapons, and drones serves as any guide, however, we probably won’t act until it’s too late.

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Democrats constantly accuse Donald Trump of constantly lying. Journalistic factcheckers, who work for Democratic-aligned media companies, back their claims with statistics. But it’s the Democratic Party that’s facing historically low approval ratings. In poll after poll about one issue after another, voters say they trust Republicans more.

A major contributing factor to the diminishment of the public’s trust in the Democratic Party is the stream of revelations that Joe Biden spent much if not all of his presidency mentally incapacitated. 72% of voters told the May 21st Rasmussen poll that “it’s a serious scandal that White House staffers were aware of Biden’s declining mental condition but worked to conceal his condition from the public and members of Congress, including 48% who consider the scandal very serious.” Another Rasmussen survey, conducted May 27th, indicates that Americans think Democrats have also been covering up the truth about the former president’s physical health: “63%…believe it’s likely that Biden has been suffering from prostate cancer since at least 2021, including 43% who consider it very likely.”

We’re waiting for more data about the Biden effect. But you don’t have to be a political genius to suss out that the public doesn’t like being lied to, really doesn’t like being lied to day after day for years, and really really really doesn’t like knowing they’re being lied to. Having your intelligence insulted is more infuriating than being deceived.

When asked about their cover-up of Biden, Democratic pols answer that they’re “looking forward.” Which is exactly the opposite of what crisis management experts—and this is definitely a crisis for Democrats—recommend.

True, refusing to comment is sometimes an organization’s least-bad move. When facts are unclear, it’s smarter to announce an investigation (a “holding statement”) rather than to say something that further erodes trust when that statement later proves incorrect. That’s not the case here, though. To those who paid attention, Biden’s dementia was evident when he ran in 2020.

Candidly admitting fault can increase legal exposure—anything you say will be used against you. Though congressional Republicans are threatening to investigate what Dems knew about Biden’s brain and when, the real risk to Biden’s enablers is political embarrassment, not prison time.

In most crises, it’s best to come clean. Stonewalling makes things worse. Studies of crisis communication strategies, such as those based on Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) by Timothy Coombs, show that refusing to talk about an issue or blowing it off as no big deal—as Democrats are doing now—increases the public’s perception that you’re guilty or irresponsible.

Democrats beware! Your silence is creating a vacuum that will allow your GOP enemies to shape a narrative you otherwise might have helped to shape in your favor. That’s what happened to BP after it deflected and downplayed the severity of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; environmentalists framed the company as an eco-criminal. United Airlines’ decision to delay its apology to the Asian passenger who was dragged off an overbooked flight made the company look racist as well as cruel. Toyota’s corporate culture of silence cost it dearly after the carmaker pretended that a series of brake problems were figments of their customers’ imaginations.

Better to come clean sooner rather than later. For Democrats, now—with the midterm elections well over a year away—is the least worst time.

The gold standard for crisis management is still the 1982 Tylenol poisoning crisis when a still-unidentified maniac killed seven people in Chicago. It must have been tempting for Johnson & Johnson to deny that it was the company’s fault. After all, it wasn’t. Instead, the company introduced tamper-proof packaging and recalled every single bottle at a cost of $100 million. Transparency and action worked. Within a year, Tylenol had recovered 90% of previous sales.

In the case of the Democratic Party and their media allies, on the other hand, the Biden cover-up is their fault. The smart move would be to emulate what the KFC UK did in 2018, when it foolishly switched to a delivery partner that couldn’t supply enough chickens to hundreds of the company’s restaurants. The company posted updates to social media and ran a funny “FCK” apology ad in newspapers that won PR awards. Share prices and sales bounced back within weeks. Like the Democrats, Southwest Airlines was caught dead to rights, its sin being cheaping out on overdue upgrades to IT infrastructure. When the antiquated system crashed, thousands of flights were canceled. CEO Bob Jordan apologized and promised to invest in upgrades right away. Customers forgave.

If Democrats want to recover their credibility any time soon, they must apologize. Party leaders—Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, Kamala Harris—should hold an hours-long press conference where they repeat a message along these lines: “We lied to you about Joe Biden. We knew he wasn’t up to the job of president, but we covered that up. We were so desperate to beat Donald Trump, so panicked that he would turn us into a fascist country, that we lost sight of what makes American democracy great—the right of a free people to choose its leaders. That choice is only legitimate when the voters know everything they need to know. Democrats don’t win by out Republican-ing the Republicans, and we don’t win by out-lying them. We screwed up. We’ve learned from our mistake. It won’t happen again.”

Throw some people under the bus to demonstrate your party’s willingness to police itself. Pelosi is 85 and semi-retired; she could step down. Harris doesn’t seem to have much of a political future anyway, not least because she had to have known all about what was going on with Biden and abdicated her 25th Amendment duty to move for his removal. Consider pushing out some of the oldest members of Congress, like Steny Hoyer (85) and Jim Clyburn (84), and definitely get rid of those whose mental acuity is seriously in question, like John Fetterman, to avoid repeats of the awkward spectacle that marked Dianne Feinstein’s final years in the Senate.

Most importantly, take action. Don’t merely cooperate with a Republican investigation, lead one of your own. Establishing the precedent that a president who suffers from dementia should be kicked out could be useful in the near future, considering Trump’s own advancing years (78). Make the party more transparent by, for example, livestreaming all meetings of the Democratic National Committee. Make it more democratic by getting rid of superdelegates in national elections and supporting insurgent outsider candidates if and when they win primaries.

If Democrats want to look forward, they first must clean up the mess they made in the past.

(Ted Rall, the political cartoonist, columnist and graphic novelist, is the author of “Never Mind the Democrats. Here’s WHAT’S LEFT.” Subscribe: tedrall.Substack.com.)

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LIVE 10 AM Eastern time, Streaming Anytime:

Hosts Ted Rall and Manila Chan cover President Trump’s bold new proclamation banning travelers and immigrants from a dozen countries while restricting entry from seven others. Citing national security, terrorism risks, inadequate vetting, and deportation issues, Trump’s decree fully bars entry from nations like Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, and Yemen, impacting both permanent immigrants and temporary visa holders like tourists. Partial suspensions hit countries like Cuba and Venezuela, with exemptions for U.S. residents, diplomats, and certain visa holders. The ban follows a recent attack in Boulder, Colorado, by an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa, fueling heated debates over security versus discrimination. Critics say Trump’s move is reactionary and xenophobic, arguing that it unfairly serves as group punishment, while Republicans claim it’s a necessary step to protect the nation. Ted and Manila unpack the facts, controversies, and global implications of this sweeping policy shift.

Plus:

• President Trump orders an investigation into whether Joe Biden’s cognitive decline was hidden by aides using an autopen to sign executive actions.
• Trump questions the legitimacy of Biden’s pardons, including commuting 37 federal death row sentences.
• A new book by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson exposes efforts to downplay Biden’s mental acuity during his presidency.

The post TMI Show Ep 153: “Trump’s Anti-Muslim Travel Ban” appeared first on Ted Rall's Rallblog.

LIVE 5 PM Eastern time, Streaming Anytime:

As always, “DeProgram” with CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou and political cartoonist Ted Rall digs into today’s issues with depth and insight. First, John and Ted break down the Trump-Musk feud, sparked when Elon Musk blasted Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” as a “disgusting abomination” for adding $2.5 trillion to the national debt, clashing with Trump’s promises and splitting the GOP. Next, we examine the bill itself, which extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, ends taxes on tips and overtime, and imposes strict SNAP and Medicaid work requirements. House Republicans like Mike Flood and Ashley Hinson now regret their votes, facing boos at town halls in Nebraska and Iowa.

Then, we turn to the Tom Girardi fraud sentencing, where the 86-year-old disgraced lawyer is sent to federal prison for seven years. This hits close for Ted Rall, as Girardi once represented him in a 2015 defamation lawsuit against the LA Times, a case tainted by Girardi’s later-revealed corruption, leaving Rall entangled in a legal mess. John provides insight into what Girardi faces next.

Finally, we tackle the Iran nuclear talks. On the DeProgram show with political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, expect razor-sharp analysis of these pivotal stories. Join us today at 5 pm ET LIVE and streaming all day 24-7 on YouTube and Rumble for a fearless take on the headlines!

The post DeProgram: “Trump vs. Musk, Big Bad Bill, Ted’s Dirt on Tom Girardi, Iran Talks” appeared first on Ted Rall's Rallblog.