DeProgram with John Kiriakou and Ted Rall

• Deprogram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: "Jake Tapper on the Global Hunt for an Al Qaeda Killer”

  In this pulse-pounding episode of Deprogrammed, hosted by political cartoonist Ted Rall and whistleblower John Kiriakou, CNN anchor Jake Tapper joins for a riveting interview unpacking his new book, Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War, released on October 7, 2025. The conversation thrusts listeners into the heart of a real-life thriller: the unprecedented international pursuit and federal trial of Spin Ghul (real name: Ibrahim Harun), a high-ranking Al Qaeda operative who boasted of killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan before bizarrely surrendering to Italian authorities amid the 2011 Arab Spring chaos. Tapper, drawing from exhaustive reporting—including interviews with prosecutors, intelligence operatives, and even Ghul’s defense team—details the book’s explosive core: a high-stakes “police procedural” spanning refugee boats in the Mediterranean, Afghan battlefields, Brooklyn courtrooms, and Oval Office briefings. Ghul, a dark-skinned Pashtun fighter derisively nicknamed “White Rose” by his Arab Al Qaeda comrades amid the group’s internal racism, emerges as a bumbling yet deadly jihadist. Radicalized in the post-9/11 “Forever War” era, he ambushed U.S. convoys, racking up American casualties, only to flee Libya’s uprising and demand extradition while flashing bullet-scarred proof of his exploits. The narrative races through the frantic efforts of two relentless Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Brooklyn—racing against deportation deadlines and legal precedents—to secure the first-ever conviction of a foreign terrorist for battlefield murders in a civilian court, blurring lines between warfare, criminal justice, and counterterrorism. Kiriakou, with his CIA whistleblower lens, intensely questions Tapper on the blurred ethics of renditions, interrogations, and intel-sharing that snared Ghul, drawing eerie parallels to his own post-9/11 exposure of waterboarding horrors and warning of how such hunts eroded civil liberties. A masterclass in true-crime geopolitics laced with unfiltered edge, this Deprogram episode is unmissable for fans of high-stakes history. Stream on major platforms, and dive into Race Against Terror for the full, meticulously sourced saga of pursuit, prejudice, and precarious justice.

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• DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “Regime Change Against Venezuela?”

  Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou analyze the Supreme Court’s probable gutting of Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Trump eyeing covert strikes and land airstrikes against Venezuela, the decline of the power of the U.S. passport, and archivists race a looming "digital dark age.” House Gerrymandering by the Supreme Court: Republicans redraw districts, targeting Southern Democrats, but Democrats hold a House path—unless Louisiana v. Callais strikes Section 2. This would gut majority-minority mandates, enabling elimination of 7-8 Black-majority districts in Alabama through Florida by 2028. Democrats would face +5-point popular vote hurdles for competitiveness, turning all midterms into GOP locks.Trump's Venezuela Escalation: Trump has drawn a bead against the government of President Nicolás Maduro after five boat strikes killing 26. Now he’s considering U.S. military land strikes to halt Venezuelan drug flows and authorized the CIA with a “finding” that allows the agency to conduct covert operations there. Is this regime change?U.S. Passport Downgrade: Henley Index of “powerful passports” drops U.S. passport to 12th—first time outside top 10 in 20 years, tied with Malaysia, down from 7th last year. Trump's immigration crackdowns trigger reciprocity losses from Brazil, China, Vietnam, stagnating access to 180 destinations. Experts warn of fading soft power in an openness-driven world.Rescuing Floppy Disks: Cambridge archivists tackle 113 boxes of Stephen Hawking's papers, extracting data from degrading 1970s-90s floppy disks via the Future Nostalgia project. They battle magnetism loss, mould, and obsolete formats to save physics insights and personal notes. This combats a "digital dark age," preserving 50 years of computered history.

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• DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “A War Over Dead Bodies”

  Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou unpack the fragile Gaza ceasefire teetering on the brink.Gaza Hostage Remains Crisis: Hamas returns the remains of four additional deceased hostages on Tuesday, including Guy Illouz and Bipin Joshi, through the Red Cross after Israel's threats to block Rafah and halve Gaza aid trucks for non-compliance with the U.S.-brokered deal. This dispute over the 28 promised bodies marks the peace process's inaugural crisis, with 24 still unrecovered—including Americans Itay Chen and Omer Neutra—trapped under rubble, as mediators press Hamas for maximum recovery efforts amid Netanyahu's unyielding demands. Trump's Truth Social post blasts the delay, insisting Phase Two—Hamas disarming—starts immediately, while officials note Hamas now grasps Israel's superior intelligence on body locations.U.S. Military Boat Strike off Venezuela: The U.S. military kills six men aboard a boat in international waters just off Venezuela's coast on Tuesday, marking the fifth such strike since September and totaling 27 deaths treated as wartime kills rather than arrests of criminal suspects. Trump posts a 33-second aerial video of the missile explosion on social media, asserting unproven intelligence links the vessel to narcoterrorist smuggling routes, as the administration builds naval presence with warships and submarines in the Caribbean. Legal experts slam the premeditated extrajudicial actions as illegal under laws barring civilian targeting without imminent threats, with nominees citing undisclosed Justice memos but no public analysis justifying war-like tactics over Coast Guard interdictions.Madagascar Military Power Seizure: The army in Madagascar seizes control on Tuesday, Colonel Michael Randrianirina from the elite CAPSAT unit announcing a joint military-police committee to swiftly install a civilian government after parliament impeaches President Andry Rajoelina, who flees into hiding fearing for his life amid weeks of Gen Z protests. Demonstrators in Antananarivo rage over six years without tap water despite payments, crippling electricity outages, and corruption in the nation of 31 million, with over 20 killed by authorities' deadly force as CAPSAT refuses to quash "brothers and sisters." Rajoelina, who rose via a 2009 CAPSAT-backed coup, dissolves parliament in a failed block, denouncing the takeover as a "coup d'etat" while protesters hail it as a supported popular revolution, waving anime pirate flags in global youth solidarity.Young Republicans Telegram Scandal: Leaked seven-month Telegram chats among Young Republican leaders from New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont overflow with racial slurs like "n--ga" used over a dozen times by Kansas vice chair William Hendrix, references to Black people as "monkeys" and "watermelon people," and fantasies of gassing opponents in chambers unfit for the "Hitler aesthetic." New York vice chair Bobby Walker calls rape "epic," while chair Peter Giunta threatens "physiological torture" for non-believers during a federation vote, with members like Joe Maligno and Annie Kaykaty joking about showers masking gas and watching people burn. The exposure prompts job firings, rescinded offers, and condemnations from Rep. Elise Stefanik and GOP chair Ed Cox, igniting intraparty recriminations of character assassination and extortion as the group frets over leaks dooming their "true believers."

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• DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “L.A. for Sale”

  Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou catch you up after the long weekend, beginning with a L.A. story with a personal connection to “Deprogram.”Is Los Angeles for Sale?: Austin Beutner, scandal-plagued billionaire and widely reviled ex-LA schools superintendent, plans to run against Mayor Karen Bass, criticizing her over homelessness and living costs. As ex-publisher of the LA Times, Beutner secretly conspired with corrupt ex-LAPD Chief Charlie Beck to fire and smear Ted because his cartoons criticized the police, and got fired due to the subscriber backlash and his boardroom plots. As Ted later learned, Beutner was a dollar-for-dollar match donor to the LAPD pension fund. Will Angelenos get conned by a grifter who makes Eric Adams look honest?Iran’s Trans Medical Tourism: Iran promotes gender transition surgeries to attract LGBTQ foreigners, offering low-cost procedures alongside luxury travel packages. Despite Iran’s reputation for affordable care, the policy stems from a history of coerced gender-affirming surgical operations.Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Clash: The Taliban confirms attacks on Pakistani troops, saying they are retaliation for airspace violations, with 58 reported deaths. Pakistan disputes the toll, and closes border crossings. Tensions soar as both sides trade accusations of harboring terrorists. Are Afghanistan and Pakistan, with a long complicated relationship, at the brink of war?Madagascar Crisis: About to be impeached, President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar has dissolved his country’s National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, hours after saying that he had gone into hiding at an undisclosed location out of fear for his safety over weeks of Gen-Z anti-government protests over lack of water and power that have killed 22 people.Federal Workers’ Mass Retirements: A massive wave of federal retirements and buyouts is straining agencies amid the shutdown. Over 154,000 employees leave, overwhelming HR offices. But isn’t a workforce reduction what DOGE and Trump wanted?

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• Deprogram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “So, the US DOES Control Israel”

  Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou bring you up to date on the ceasefire deal seeking to end the Gaza War. President Trump delivers ironclad guarantees preventing Israel from abandoning the ceasefire, with U.S. officials revealing a pivotal U.S.-led military task force monitoring violations—exposing the moral bankruptcy of those who claimed the U.S. could not control Israel. Similarly, food aid will now flow into Gaza, belying Israelis who kept claiming they were not keeping it out.Also: New York AG Letitia James faces bank fraud charges, judges shield Chicago journalists and protesters from DHS riot weapons, New York City's mayoral race tightens post-Adams' exit, and Peru's Congress impeaches President Dina Boluarte.How Trump Leaned on Israel: President Trump issued personal guarantees securing the Gaza deal, establishing a 200-soldier U.S.-led task force with Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and UAE officers to monitor compliance. IDF withdrawal begins at noon local time and Hamas' hostage release—20 alive—will occur Monday, as eyes turn to two questions. Who will rule Gaza? How low will Israel’s reputation sink when the world gets to see the full scope of its genocide? Indictment Letitia James: A Virginia grand jury charges NY AG James with bank fraud and false statements for claiming her $137,000 Norfolk home as a secondary residence, actually an investment yielding $19,000 in interest savings. This second high-profile foe indictment in weeks follows Comey's charges, with probes into Schiff and Cook amid Trump's retribution push. Judge Tells ICE To Stop Brutalizing Journalists: Judge Ellis temporarily bans DHS agents from targeting journalists or protesters with riot weapons at ICE sites, requiring two audible warnings and visible IDs unless undercover. Force, arrests, or dispersal apply only with probable cause unrelated to orders, protecting First Amendment amid "extreme brutality" claims.Cuomo Losing By Less: Quinnipiac's October 3-7 survey shows Mamdani leading 46-33% over Cuomo, gaining no new ground but sustaining enthusiasm post-Adams' September dropout. Cuomo absorbs most ex-Mayor Adams support, up 10 points in four-way race with Sliwa at 15%, margins at ±3.9%. Mamdani, sole favorably viewed, eyes debates without hitting 50%.Peru President's Impeached: Congress ousts Dina Boluarte 122-0, citing moral incapacity after Wednesday's Lima cumbia concert machine-gun attack wounds four band members. Extortion explodes to 2,000 monthly cases, killing bus drivers and bombing businesses, dooming her 2-4% approval despite emergency decrees. Protesters rally outside Ecuador embassy on asylum rumors; Congress president assumes interim role until April elections.

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