[00:07] Good morning. You're watching the program with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou. It's Wednesday, April 1st, April Fools' Day, 2026. Uh, we're not going to do any April Fools' Day stuff here, unfortunately, too much serious stuff to deal with. Thank you so much for joining us. Uh, John Kiriakou is out this morning, uh, due uh, kind of unexpectedly, but he will be here for something that we're starting today, which is Monday and Wednesday. Today's the first time we're doing it, 12:00 noon Eastern Time, we'll be doing an exclusive Q&A only ask-us-anything
[00:40] episode. So, for a full hour, you have a question for us about any topic whatsoever, you can just call and we will uh, of course, obviously, that's only in the live chat on Rumble and YouTube. So, uh, please go ahead and do that. Um, thank you uh, for supporting the show. This is also uh, Robbie West, our producer, will be filling in today, um, and thanks for doing that, Robbie. Uh, full show, big lineup, um, so, let me break it down what we're doing. Uh, we'll be talking about mainly the war in
[01:11] Iran, and just as we went on the air, like literally a minute ago, The Hill reported Trump says Iran has asked for a ceasefire. Um, I don't think I believe Donald Trump. Um, this I'm going to I'm reading from the article. Trump says that Iran uh, would consider the proposal once the Strait of Hormuz is open, free, and clear. Iran's new regime president, much less radicalized and far more intelligent
[01:43] than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a ceasefire, Trump said in a post on his uh, Truth Social. He did not reveal who the leader was. By the way, Iran's president has not changed. Um, he at all. Uh, we will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion, or as they say, back to the Stone Ages. I didn't realize that there was more than one Stone Age, Robbie. I thought there was one was enough, but I
[02:14] guess there were some plural, which it leads us really uh, into the lead story of today, and I want to thank uh, producer Trent for the thumbnail that uh, for that music fans will recognize as being from the Hunky Dory album by David Bowie, where uh, Trump got Bowie uh, about changes, right? So, regime change, we all know what regime change is, uh, and we all know that that's not what's happened in Iran, but uh, Trump is clearly looking for a way out of the war, and he's now claiming
[02:44] that regime change has occurred. Uh, also, Trump is currently considering a military mission to invade Iran uh, by land uh, and raid the buried uranium that has been enriched to 60%. Um, one per- one expert calls it one of the most risky and difficult operations the US military has undertaken since the Second World War. So, that'll work out great. Um, Trump says that the US could stop attacking Iran within two to three weeks, with or without reopening the Strait of
[03:15] Hormuz, so more mixed messaging. The IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has issued a statement saying that if regime figures in Iran continue to be targeted, uh, the IRGC will target uh, assets uh, belonging to private tech and defense companies operating in the Middle East. These would include companies like uh, Hewlett-Packard, uh, Cisco, Intel, Apple, Google, that kind of thing, Palantir. And finally, um, the well, maybe not finally, uh,
[03:45] Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are very worried about this new hanging law for Palestinians that does not apply to Jews in the West Bank. Um, and uh, basically, they're worried that the ones who are in prison now could just start getting hung like next week. Um, there's a 96% conviction rate of from in the these military courts that hear these cases, and they have a history of extracting confessions under torture. Uh, and finally, you know, it's never a great idea when a man with Jewish uh,
[04:17] sorry, with German ancestry demands a list of Jews from a public institution or a private institution, but that's what the Trump administration has done, demanding that the University of Pennsylvania turn over a list of all of its Jewish faculty, adminis- and administrators, and students over to the federal government. A federal judge has ruled that actually, that's not a problem, creepy though it may be. So, >> problem? I mean, what could be wrong with people on lists being given to the
[04:47] government? It's not like Jews on a list has ever been an issue in the past. Um, so, Robbie, uh, oh, and uh, so, a little bit of of housekeeping, um, actually, a lot of housekeeping to do this morning. So, a um, for the Q&A um, Q&As that are directed directly towards John, uh, particularly the super chats, those will be kicked over to the 12:00 noon hour today Eastern Time, when John is going to be here. Uh, and so, uh, also, and that'll
[05:18] be true for anything that we didn't get to yesterday. Uh, in the meantime, we're going to get to the other things that we can get to from yesterday, and anything that you want to ask me and or Robbie, or just sort of comment, we will, of course, talk about here during this hour, and uh, >> [sighs] >> also, one more thing. Um, we have uh, this is it's April 1st, which means it's the beginning of Robbie Aid. Uh, for people who are new to the show, what we do in order to be able to continue to afford to have a producer, which people
[05:50] who watch the show regularly know, Robbie plays a very important role here on the program, not just filling in when John is out or when I'm out, but also, um, you know, keeping the show running smoothly when when John and I are both at the microphone. So, uh, we can't afford him unless we can pay him. Uh, John pays $500 a month to Robbie. I pay $500 a month to Robbie, and we ask you guys to kindly kick in $1,000 a month total uh, to Robbie. We do this through what we call Robbie Aid. Um, I'm put- we
[06:22] this is a GoFundMe. Um, so, I'm going to put the URL up there right now. I'm going to do it again later in the show, but it's gofundme.com /f as in Frank /dprogramrobbie, and if that URL is a little awkward uh, as it as it is for you as it is for me, It is. just go to GoFundMe. Yeah, they should get rid of that F. Uh, just go to gofundme.com and just look up dprogramrobbie, one word, and he will come right up, and it'll tell you exactly what to do. And
[06:53] thank you so much for that. Okay, sorry for all the long-windedness, Robbie. Good and good morning. Ted, but you are a cartoonist, so you got to make up for the words that you have whenever you're not drawing, so it makes perfect sense. >> [laughter] >> True. Although I've always been accused of being a a long-winded cartoonist. Over on X, John Smith is asking, uh, is John okay? John is perfectly okay, 100%. >> no, he has to travel early, and because the lines of the TSA are such a total cluster, uh, when we were talking
[07:24] yesterday, we were just like, just go to go to the airport now, we don't miss your plane. It's it's just here and everywhere else in the country. It's falling apart, and we can't be bothered to fix our own problems. Instead, we have to wage war a- on behalf of some little piss-ant country the size of New Jersey instead of fixing our own problems. I I can't argue with that. >> Yeah. >> [clears throat] >> And although I'll argue with you about other things, Robbie, as you well know, but not that. Um, so, we also have um, we so, so, aside from so, I'm trying to think of what else we need to do. Oh,
[07:55] yeah, so, please kick in to Robbie Aid, and please put your questions uh, in the live chat in Rumble and YouTube, and we will away we go. Um, okay, so, oh, there there was one more thing. Um, people were asking about our our personal little uh, Palaviist monarchist piece of [ __ ] stalker. Um, we haven't heard from him. Um, we don't really know if that's because of uh, the fact that we reported him to the FBI, or the fact that we um, did some things with the with the phone company, or whatever, or did he just
[08:27] like, yeah, decide to grow a penis and start like living a real life. I don't know, but the point is, we haven't heard from him lately. So, uh, okay. So, and and frankly, we appreciate that. So, we don't really ever want to hear from him again. Um, okay. So, Robbie, uh, should we should we get some uh, should we get to the str- to the first topic, regime change? Yeah, let's do it. Okay. So, um, the White House is clearly looking for a way out. Um, they claim
[08:57] that regime change has already occurred. Here, I'll quote uh, Pete Hegseth. This [clears throat] new regime, because regime change has occurred, should be wiser than the last. Then Trump says, we've had regime change if you look, already, because the one regime was decimated, destroyed. Robbie, that's not regime change, is it? Um, no. Uh, I I don't think that qualifies. I mean, It's pers- it's personnel changes. Well, also, I mean, here's
[09:28] the Trump said that the whole reason they went in is because BB told him to be good a little good little middle manager and go and destroy Iran's nuclear program. Well, as far as I know, Iran still has all of its fissile material. They still have all their enriched uranium. So, if that was the goal, and if the Iranian government is still in place, and if Iran still has the the nuclear material, then doesn't that mean that Iran has, what's the word, one.
[09:58] Yeah, Iran I mean I think clearly Iran has won. Um and the thing is why So why do you think the Trump administration is is uh you know making this claim? I mean they're you know are they just trying to say we are you know we're going to declare victory and leave? I mean this reminds me a lot of what happened with Venezuela. I mean in in defense of Trump I mean it is true that he has changed the general posture of the Venezuelan government to one that is now supine,
[10:29] right? And is basically uh giving away its oil to the United States is has agreed to no longer ship oil to its ally uh Cuba. So even though uh under the the Venezuelan system remains the same, the police remain the same, there's no US occupation, Venezuelan uh vice president has stepped up to be acting president, uh they still consider uh Nicolas Maduro who is currently in US custody to be the legitimate legal president of Venezuela. Effectively, they have changed the
[11:00] policies of the Venezuelan government. Is that Is that fair to call that regime change? Uh and if so, is it fair to call what uh you know any kind of change of personnel a regime change? I mean Iran's not a monarchy, so I don't see how you can call it a regime change. Well, it's not a regime change. I mean the government is still in place. And also if Trump the Trump is going on saying that Iran's going to be decimated, that we're winning. If that is true, then why are they signaling that they're going to invade Iran using ground forces? And by the
[11:32] way, one thing I'm going to point out that I made this point on on uh Facebook, too. Yeah, we're in this war because of Israel. That is a statement of fact. So now the US military, specifically the Marine Corps and the and paratroopers are are preparing for an invasion of Kharg Island. Meanwhile, our erstwhile our greatest ally, the only democracy in the Middle East which never does anything wrong, says they will not send one single soldier to help us go fight in a war
[12:02] that they are that they dragged us into. With friends like that, who the hell needs an enemy? Good question. It is a good question. I like having answers. So So for all the Zionists out there, all the boot lickers who just get down at the Star Rim fan and worship and tell me how uh as a Christian I'm obligated to support the Jews because they're God's chosen people. My son's 16. He turns 17 this year. I have a vested interest in this. Why is it the responsibility for my son, your
[12:33] son, and the sons of millions of other people to potentially go fight and die, again, for this piss-ant little pathetic country the size of New Jersey on a war that they pushed us into, but they don't have the stones to send one soldier to fight with us? Robbie, um I'm working on a column this week that argues that um for that we are finally in a fascist um society here in the United States. I never thought that until recently. I think the Iran war tipped us into it. War is sort of if you look at students
[13:05] of fascism like my old professor at Columbia, Robert O. Paxton, who wrote The Anatomy of Fascism, he argued that war is the logical culmination of fascism and that it destroys a fascist regime. Um certainly that was true in Italy and and Germany. The wars destroyed those two countries uh and their and their governments. Um do you think do you think I'm I'm putting too fine a point on it or do you think that's a a fair assessment that basically the logic of of the Trump
[13:37] administration, you know, fascism is less about it's a right-wing thing, but it's less about ideology than it is about a method of governance. Um do you think it's uh fair to say that uh the logical culmination of like the scapegoating and the violence and the paranoia that went with Trumpism uh and maybe maybe Magaism to a second extent but secondary level, but certainly Trumpism, that that is a uh is the main reason
[14:08] that we are where we are at and that basically it will bring down if not the United States government, it'll certainly bring down Trump uh politically. I don't know if it's fascism or not. It's definitely oligarchy. It's definitely a death of Republican smaller government. Uh Really I think has more to do more to do with economics. I think that the debt is such that we can no longer write hot checks that the world can cover. And so in order to prop that up, we have got to
[14:40] solidify the position in the world energy markets. And I think that's really at the end of the day what this is all about, at least from a rational perspective. The problem is though is that if you're dealing with a country like Israel which is not rational that controls our government through its lobby I don't know if if rationalism even is even baked into the cake. I mean I can at least make the case that you go over that you go after Venezuela and Iran because you want total domination of those oil markets,
[15:10] specifically Iran because Iran is one of China's largest suppliers of oil. If the whole idea is to is to contain Iran, that makes sense. The problem is I don't see any rational thought here at all. I don't know what the end game is. I don't know what it looks like. Okay. Um so all right, sorry. It's like a little hard to to do you know with with Robbie is not the producer and so he not today, he's the co-host. Um if you're just joining us, John Kiriakou is out, he's traveling. He will be here for
[15:43] the Q&A episode at 12:00 noon. Um so tune into that. All right, so let's talk about this mission. So Robbie, you're too young to remember this, but back in 1980, Jimmy Carter was dealing with the 444-day-long Iran hostage crisis that ultimately was a major contributing factor to his losing his re-election campaign to Ronald Reagan. And um he so desperate to get the hostages back, he authorized a
[16:14] hostage rescue mission. So uh he sent off helicopters to land in the desert near Tehran and the idea was that they would uh these these commandos would sneak into Tehran and grab the hostages, snatch them out of the US Embassy that was being held by these Iranian students in Tehran. >> [snorts] >> It was a disaster. A sandstorm came up. Um they had to flee. They never got anywhere close to uh where they needed to and uh several several soldiers died. It was a fiasco
[16:46] and it was viewed as a another example of Carter's incompetence and ineptitude. Now Trump is considering a mission to go to the site of where the uh is the where the US uh carpet bombed and uh and dropped uranium depleted bombs on um you know in the desert where the Iranians keep their had their nuclear power program. Uh presumably, and we don't know this is true at all, the Iranians may have moved it, but presumably there
[17:17] are there's a their stash of uranium is in there. It's been enriched. It's below the the rubble. It's been enriched to 60% which is very very high. So you know, basically you're talking about the Trump administration wants to go in, dig a uh giant hole while they're taking Iranian fire, uh recover this extremely radioactive dangerous substance and get out without getting blown up by the substance or by the Iranians or both. Um
[17:49] sounds like the Jimmy Carter idea was a smarter and easier idea to pull off than this one. Well, [snorts] it would be because Libya I mean How can I say this without without sounding you know like a prick? Libya had throughout its history has never really been a major power, even a regional power. They just It just kind of exists. It's just kind of there. Iran is a real country. I've said this before, Iran was old when Rome was
[18:21] young. Today Rome is gone. Persia is still there. I mean this is a real country, a civilizational nation with a with a proud history and more importantly with a martial ethos. If you go against a people like that, I mean Iran's been conquered in the past, sure. That's the main reason why Islam is their major religion religion now, not not Zoroastrianism. But they are resilient and they're proud and they do this thing called fighting. They don't roll over. And I think that's
[18:52] what Trump doesn't understand. I think that the United States thinks that if you just go and blow stuff up, then that means that you win. I think there's a fundamental disconnect about what victory looks like from two different perspectives. I think that's the issue. I think ultimately um >> [clears throat] >> I think the Iranians understand more about what makes the US tick than the other way around. Um and you're really seeing it now, right, with the ceasefire talk. I mean the United States is acting they're just saying like, "Okay, if you
[19:22] reopen the Strait of Hormuz, we'll offer you a ceasefire." Okay, so that's ignoring the history of the United States negotiating not once, not twice, but three times with the Iranians and then sneak attacking them while they're negotiating. The Iranians have no reason, no way, no how to trust the United States. A ceasefire doesn't do them any good cuz they know the US and the Israelis will be back for more [ __ ] later on. They have to um keep fighting. They have to make sure
[19:54] that they bloody our noses and teach us a lesson that we will never forget. The I think for the Iranians this is now, you know, I don't think the Americans understand like, "Oh, well, now we can go back to a ceasefire." A ceasefire? You had a ceasefire. You chose to take a [ __ ] on your ceasefire and now the Iranians have to win. They They can't just survive at this point. I mean, it's all those surviving as John and I have talked about here is victory and they will survive, but they also have to
[20:24] thrive. They have to make sure that they hurt Iran They have to Sorry, they have to hurt Israel and the US and their allies and their economic interests enough to make sure that the whole world pressures the US and Israel to never attack Iran again. >> [snorts] >> Well, is that and also one thing that I just want to just kind of point out is as long as the sanctions are in place, we have a we have a stranglehold on Iran. So, before I would ever
[20:57] uh sit down to have a conversation with the United States, uh I would insist that those sanctions be lifted first. Otherwise, all we're doing is strangling them. So, what does Iran get out of it? Oh, I would insist on full diplomatic relations, too. Like everything. You know, you you we exchange ambassadors. Like, you know, and we you need a treaty obligation, right? You need the US to go You need Trump to go to Congress and get the Senate to ratify a treaty that says that the United States will not attack Iran.
[21:29] Now, obviously, that's not something that the Israelis would agree to, but I think probably for the Iranians it would be enough to get the US on their side cuz Israel doesn't do I know they're control They're guiding this, but Israel's not going to do boo without the US. I mean, they're a welfare state. They belong to us. Is Isn't it an indictment about how pathetic our government is? I mean, think about that for a second. Israel is our client, which is
[22:00] how it is. I mean, which on paper is correct. Then how is it that they control the United States? I mean, who is whose client at this point? >> Well, they're manipulating the United States, but they're not controlling the United States. I think, you know, it's a they're behind the scenes. We got a lot of questions to deal with at the end of the >> No, no, for sure. I'm going to push back on you right there a little bit, Ted. I I think they 100% are controlling us. We are engaged in a war that is that is not in our interest in any way, shape or form. The
[22:30] United States gets nothing out of this war. Nothing one shape or one shape or form. It would be in America's interests to open relations with Iran and be trading with them. But we can't do that because Israel controls our Congress and our president through its lobby. And if you point that out, then they go and start swinging the "Oh, you're anti-Semitic" club, which I no longer I don't care what you call me at this point. You So, you can't So, you can't call me a a liar. I'm good with that. I don't care. But that's what
[23:01] they're doing. No, they 100% control us. We are a conquered nation. We've been conquered by the power of the US dollar and and the fact that our government is ran by a bunch of cheap [ __ ] But you and I both know if Israel ceased to exist tomorrow, uh the US would be Yeah, we'd be more successful. We'd be We'd have more friends in the Middle East. We would have more alliances. Trump would have more hotels in the Middle East. I mean, it would all be good. You know, it's It is a It is a ridiculous arrangement. Uh Robbie, you ready to take some questions? And I guess another question is do we have an ad? Um I will
[23:33] find us an ad when I got one more I got a couple more chats to drop in. But yeah, let's go take some questions. I'll check it out. >> I'll do some I'll let me take you a little record keeping here. All right, housekeeping. Laura Ly Roger, thanks for the $4.99. This is a question about Bustamante and Athens. Let's kick that, Robbie, over to the Q&A show, which is starting at 12:00 noon today. So, stay tuned for that. And Sneaker Dad has one left over from yesterday up above us. >> that. All right, so um first question was the US shot down
[24:04] Iran Air flight 655 from Tehran on July 3rd, 1988 by two surface-to-air missiles fired by the USS Vincennes. Why do we never talk about this and you can tell you me your memories of this incident? I do remember this. I don't know if you remember it, Robbie. I think you're too young for that, too. But basically, there was a uh US warship. I think it was a destroyer, the Vincennes. And famously, the captain of the ship was downstairs taking a dump when basically, the radar
[24:37] saw that there was this Iranian this Iran airplane flying over the Persian Gulf. The Vincennes decided to fire and they shot down a bunch of civilians. If you've watched, Robbie, any of these awesome Iranian Lego propaganda videos, [clears throat] I love them. Can't wait. Every morning I wake up, I want to see a new one. Um anyways, they one at least one of them alludes to Iran Air flight 655 and talks about how this Iran is trying to avenge
[25:08] those victims who were never compensated, by the way, by the United States. It was one of those like, "It's the US. We're impervious to responsibility. It's like being Renee Good or Alex Brady. Sucks to be you. We don't give a [ __ ] Nothing's going to happen." And nothing did happen because in the you know, the United States might makes right. A second question is, as a sailor who combated piracy, I can tell you that the Houthis joining this fight changes the game. The Bab Bab el Mandeb is more dangerous in the Strait of Hormuz. You
[25:40] not only have to worry about Houthis, you have to worry about Eritrean rebels on the waters as well. And also, you have to worry about Somali pirates on the other side of it on the southern side of the Gulf of Aden, right? So, that's as John pointed out yesterday, that entrance to the Red Sea is only about 9 mi wide and it is much narrower than the Strait of Hormuz. It's uncontrollable. If you have both of those of those um passageways shut down, you're affecting
[26:12] anywhere between 40 and 45% of all global oil and a lot of container ships. I mean, you're going to start I mean, I wanted to buy some jeans the other day. Um you literally can't get them in my size anymore because of the supply chains are starting to break down and I don't have an unusual size. Maybe that's the problem. I don't have an unusual size. Um But anyway, so that's left over from yesterday. Robbie, we should show Well, let's do a few more questions, too. Um so, let's see.
[26:42] Thank you very much for the Musta Mustafa for the $1.99. Much appreciated. Over on over [laughter] on Rumble, thanks for the dollar, man child. Good morning, retards. How can the world stop the Israeli government from completing the I the I It's ironic devolution from Holocaust survivors into Judeo-Nazism? Well, it's I think pretty complete. I mean, we're we're we This would be a good segue to talk about this hanging law
[27:14] that we talked about yesterday. So, under this law that's just been passed by the Knesset and in fairness is expected to be overturned by the Israeli Supreme Court, but that's not a sure thing and I think Netanyahu is going to sign this law. If Palestinians in the West Bank, but not Israeli Jews, face automatic death by hanging under this apartheid law for anything any kind of act of violence or murder committed in what they call terrorism and terrorism is pretty much
[27:44] just like anything that the military tribunals say it is. They find Palestinians guilty 96% of the time. By the way, they decided to choose You'll like this. The reason they're doing hanging, Robbie, is because uh in too many Israeli doctors refuse to do lethal injections cuz those are considered unethical. So, they're like, "Well, we won't have to have doctors involved. We'll just, you know, we'll just hang them old style." Um Yeah, I mean, >> That's part of it, but I think that probably if you read the Old Testament
[28:16] laws, like what the is considered to be a cursed death if you're hung from a tree. And that's one of the reasons why Jesus is was crucified. I mean, he was hung from a tree. He was a wooden cross. >> Soldiers didn't want to be hung, right? At the end of World War II, they wanted to be shot. >> It's a more honorable way to go. So, it so I mean, I mean, yeah, maybe there's some Jewish doctors who are kind of up in arms about it, but with the uh the hardcore rabbis and stuff who are in control of Israel's government, I
[28:47] would not be surprised that they're looking back at Mosaic laws saying, "We're going to make this as humiliating and dishonorable a death as possible." Thank you. That's That's I mean, so to answer I mean, so how do how does the world stop it? I hate to say it. I don't see the Israelis responding to anything but brute force. If they were cut off economically and maybe threatened militarily in a credible way by the international community, maybe. But then, they have 100 nuclear weapons, Robbie. Yeah, they do. But you know what? That's
[29:18] okay. We'll deal with it. It's not okay. I mean, well, I I guess the question is does Israel have ICBMs? I don't know the answer to that. Um Ariel Gordy, thanks for the thanks for the $4.99. Good morning. Was wondering how you both feel about the current state of health care in this country. PS, love David Bowie and you guys, especially Robbie. I love David Bowie, too, so much. Um Robbie, I think you have thoughts about the current state of health care that are extremely pertinent to your current
[29:49] situation. Well, it's a complete disaster. Our health care system is a complete joke. Insurance should be abolished. But we should have a single-payer health care system. That's one of the places that me as a right-winger 100% and am on team Ted on this. It's it is insane. What we have right now is not a capitalist system. We have a hybrid system where the profits are are are privatized and the losses are are spread among the masses. The Basically, they're socialized.
[30:20] And that's completely backwards what needs to be done. Like the the stuff that went with my wife when she had to go in and have her surgery and the medical and and her medicine and stuff, fighting with the insurance. It is a complete disaster. But they can't have nice things because there's no money be to be had by actually you know having a fair health care system in this country. And then just you're going to disenfranchise the big pharma and their lobby. So we're not going to have any kind of change. We're not going to have any kind of reform and we need it
[30:51] desperately. Robbie, do we have the Did you find that ad? I did. I'm going to pop it up right now. All right. Thanks for joining the program with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou, Robbie Westfill again. 12:00 noon John Kiriakou will be not flying and he will be attending the Q&A. First we are doing Q&A shows for a full hour Mondays and Wednesdays 12:00 noon Eastern time and uh let's see and as soon as we have that It is up for you now, Ted. Okay, here we go. Thank you, Robbie. All right, you've
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[31:54] to rumble.com/premium and use the promo code studio at checkout. That's rumble.com/premium, promo code studio. No ads, more freedom and content you actually care about. That's the deal. All right. So uh more questions. Let's let's let's do them. Um uh Yes, okay. Uh Pachismo, thanks for the $4.99. Hi Ted, I'm an Ivy League dropout. Me too. And was Although I did ultimately go back and finish up. That
[32:25] was paraded around as a DEI implosion and find your lack of censorship refreshing. Don't let fans dictate you. Thank you very much. Um Jack Samuels, $34.80. Thanks for the $1.99. Thoughts on Kristi Noem's husband cross-dressing. Do you know anything about this? Uh I guess he was walking around wearing prosthetic boobs and stuff. So if that's the case, I can see why uh she decided to make him a [ __ ] Is that true?
[32:55] Um I can't verify it, but it's I mean there's pictures of the prosthetics all over the internet and stuff. Well, you know cross-dressers aren't uh usually um gay. They're usually straight. >> [snorts] >> Uh I'll take your word for it. I don't know, but I'm just saying >> know personally. I'm just telling you what I've read. I I I I don't know. I've never tried it. I've I've never had that vice. That's >> [laughter] >> That's not me. Uh yeah, no no no no like wearing dainty underthings has never been something I've been interested in. I don't actually understand like you know women's stuff looks so
[33:25] uncomfortable. Like like like like a thong. Like oh my god, I wouldn't want something thin like that up my buttocks or or like you know heels. The shoes look like torture devices. Um when I was in when I was in high school, we had hazing still and for marching band and for for like a week I had to wear [ __ ] late That was my my sentence to wear high heels around the around the school and as a as a freshman and it was like I wasn't humiliated. It
[33:56] just hurt my feet like a [ __ ] I just I was like I don't understand how you guys dress this way. Their clothes don't have enough linings. It's like it's Being a woman sucks. Um Anyway, Alex Bringlow, thanks for the 999 pounds. What's Trump likely to announce tonight? Yeah, Trump is speaking to the nation. I think really truly this is the first real like Oval Office I don't you know speak I don't know if he's speaking from the Oval, but either there or at the treaty room or the map room where he's going to actually be take the this war seriously.
[34:30] What's he likely to say? I mean I guess question one, will it be a speech or will it be a series of rants? I think it'll be a speech, Robbie. What do you think? Uh if if they're able to control him, I would think it would be a speech. Um it just depends on if he goes off script or not. I I think it'll probably be a speech. I think what he's going to do, he's going to go in, he's going to make the case for uh how uh the United States has won this overwhelming victory against Iran despite the fact we haven't achieved any of the goals that were set out at the
[35:00] start of this. And uh he's going to talk about how Iran had better shape up. I think he'll also take a pot shot at Europe, our so-called NATO partners uh for not going in and assisting us in a war that we did not even consult them on before we started it. >> [snorts] >> Yeah, I mean it's he's he's like why do you think he's doing this? Why did he not do it before when it would seem like more obvious to do it and why do it now? I mean I think I want to answer that second question last, but I want your answer on it too,
[35:31] Robbie. I mean I mean I want the uh I mean I think he's in trouble. I mean Donald Trump knows how to read polls. Uh he sees the economy is in trouble and like he can only manipulate the economy so much. And now he knows he's you know he's got to some explaining to do, right? Like he's got to try to save you know save the save this from getting worse. Um I don't know. I mean I don't know how This isn't
[36:01] >> [laughter] >> This is This mission's as impossible for Donald Trump as getting that uranium, I think. I think what it is, I think that he realizes that the economy is now in recession whether the people want to admit it or not. I think we've been in a recession now for like 6 months, maybe a year and we just been juicing the numbers. I mean that's why there's no job growth. That's right. Yeah, it's like the it's a no hire no fire situation, but now there's firing too and people are dropping out of the labor force. They're They're expiring. Their unemployment benefits are expiring. Um
[36:33] yeah, this is a good luck looking for a I mean it's it was hard to find a job 2 years ago. Good luck finding one now. Oh yeah, it's just a complete disaster. So I think that's part of it and people don't realize this. If you go to the grocery store and you buy yourself a package of meat, that plastic that covers that meat that's made from byproducts of oil that we import you know from the Straits of Hormuz. So Trump is right. No, we're not getting the No, we're not getting the oil, but we are getting the byproducts, the
[37:04] asphalt. We're getting the fertilizer. >> fertilizer. We're getting the fertilizer. So to say that this does not impact us is a 100% lie. Not to mention it's a global oil market, right? So even the oil itself like the mere fact that like oil There's only so much oil and there's only and there's a certain number of customers and it's kind of like you know if you buy something if if you buy you're both vying for the same limited supply, obviously the price is going to go up. Yeah, 100% and the thing is at the end of the day
[37:36] uh they can spin this as much as they want. Our economy has been sick now for a long time. It's getting sicker. And there's only so many ways that you can that you can put lipstick on that pig to try to make it look like it's not as bad as it actually is. No, Trump can come out there on TV and say listen, everything's fine. He can go full on Joe Biden and say don't believe your lying eyes. Don't look at the cost of living going up. Don't I mean that's one of the that's one of the biggest disagreements I have with you. We need deflation. We need lower prices.
[38:09] At least to be on caliber to where to where wages are. Wages have not gone up, whereas cost of living has gone up consistently 2 to 4% every year for last 20 years. We need deflation. We need a reset. I understand your argument. But at the end of the day though, prices keep going up. But wages don't, you're going to get the collapse one way or the other anyway. So why not go in for a soft landing? I think that's what Trump is starting to realize now is that the game is up. Yeah, well I'm I have to admit I'm not going to watch
[38:40] live, but I'll I'll you know I'll watch it all you know tomorrow morning early before the show so I know what what's going on. I can't stay up and watch that. I'll probably stream it I'll probably stream it on on my Rumble channel. If you want to come by and we can roast this bastard together. That'd be fun. All right, well that's worth All right, I'll I'll consider that. Um Dirty Pest 44, thanks for the $9.99. Good morning Ted and Robbie. Wondering if you two watch the panels on Piers Morgan. The debates are fascinating and it's always fun to hear John school these lunatics. Would love to get John's thoughts, too. Um well, we'll save that
[39:11] one for John. I don't watch it. How about you? I I watch them. I watch it. It's fun. It really is like Jerry Springer. People just start yelling and screaming at each other and it's If you're going there to try and learn something, you're going to the wrong show. But if you're just going just to watch a bunch of people just get into a verbal a verbal smackdown, it's it's a good time. Sounds old school, very '90s. Uh Kev, thanks for the very generous $19.99 donation. Good morning Ted and Robbie. Really enjoy the show. Question for Rob,
[39:42] I was wondering if you served in the military. >> Really enjoy the show. Question for Rob, I was wondering if you served in the military. If this was answered before, I apologize. No, I never have. I come from a military family. I did not join the military mostly because of the stuff my dad told me about the his service in Korea. And I was considering it and one of the best pieces of advice my daddy ever gave me was Robbie, don't do it. I I told my son
[40:13] that, you know, he could do anything he wants, he can become gay, he can become trans, he can become a right-wing Republican, anything you want, business person, play football, anything that I'm not into, listen to Lionel Richie, anything. Do not join the [ __ ] military. James Kelly, thanks for the $5. I don't know, but I feel like we're seeing the end of Nazi power and Iran is our Russia. Vilmar, thanks for the two Canadian dollars. Do you see Trump's latest post,
[40:45] invasion coming? Yeah. Yeah, we just talked about that. Um, obviously, look, John's pointed this out, you don't send carrier groups and Marines and all that, you know, to the other side of the planet if you don't intend to use them. Clearly, they're going to they're going to try to seize Kark Island. And it's not going to look good. It's not going to be It's not going to be good. No, it's It's going to be a disaster. I mean, amphibious invasion is one of the hardest things that you could
[41:15] possibly do. The last [snorts] time the United States has ever been involved in a operation like that at at scale was World War in the Pacific. And so, geography has a role. So, you have to send So, you have to send these Marines over either into Kuwait from the disembark there or try to take them up through the Straits of Hormuz, which is not going to work. They're going to be eating fire the entire freaking way. And when then when you get to the island, how do you resupply them? Logistics matter. Right. >> This is a thing.
[41:45] Yeah, no, that that that's that's the thing. I think it's going to be a [ __ ] fiasco. Robbie, what about this threat from the IRGC to attack like data farms and other facilities, distribution centers for these giant American based tech companies like Meta, IBM, Nvidia, Tesla, Boeing, and so on. I think that's pretty potent threat. Well, they they already started this morning. I sent I sent the link to you on the TMI show.
[42:16] Um They hit the Batelco headquarters in Hamala, Bahrain. So, they've already started and that is one of Amazon's data data hubs. They've already started. Well, how how I mean, do you I mean, I think it's a big deal. Do you agree? Of course. Listen, Iran cannot defeat us militarily. No one with a brain would ever entertain that >> warfare. They are waging economic war. Mhm. That's how they're able to hit us. And you have a country that's $37
[42:46] trillion in debt. And keep in mind, our country don't we don't manufacture anything anymore. We have to import everything. So, what do you need to import? Ships. What do ships need to move? Oil. What do What does no one have right now except for the Russians? Oil. So, I mean, this is how they win. Right. Right. Um, sorry. I get a little distracted here reading trying to read through the the scroll. Um, in in everybody talker as a former leftist
[43:17] atheist, I can say I like Robbie's honesty, how direct he names the [ __ ] which bothers him and his loyalty. Here, here. Um, yes, please, 6260. People who cry anti-Semitism for calling out the Israeli government are actually the ones being wildly anti-Semitic because Netanyahu and the Israeli government don't represent all Jewish people. Not even close. Right? No. Um Kuwaiti Airport, thank you Gonk for the $1.99 has been hit in Lego City. Um, let's That brings up an interesting
[43:48] that a fun a fun thing. So, you guys have seen the Iranian Lego videos. They're all over the Um, maybe some of you have seen some of these Chinese kung fu videos that are that that have also been on the internet, but they're not as prominent, they haven't made as big a splash. Part one of this Valley of Gold kung fu thing came out a couple of days ago and now part two is out. You don't really have to watch part one to get part two. So, we're just going to go ahead and play that. Here we go.
[44:54] >> [music] >> That was That was fun, but the Legos is better. The Legos is better. It's [music] It's definitely But But, you know, it's worth seeing. I love the Persian cat. Hey, don't get me wrong. It was funny. It was good. I just think that the I think here's the biggest thing. And this has got to be a blow to to Trump's ego. The fact that he is now the biggest joke
[45:25] on the world stage. Because he is. If you're a narcissist like that guy is, that's got to sting. Yeah, no doubt. I mean, yeah. I mean, the thing is the Speaking of which, right? Like the Iranians are characterizing him as a loser, l o s e r. And that It shows that to me like the Iranians really understand Trump as well as the United States. Like our cultures intersect a lot more. That Venn diagram
[45:57] is a lot bigger. I mean, obviously, Chinese culture is very different from American culture. So, they don't quite get us as the same way. And it's But, it's super you know, it's it's super interesting to see how they [laughter] can tap into that. Yeah, it's got to be tough for Trump. I mean, you know, I think the logic of of his approach to governance like, you know, take no prisoners, make no compromises, you know, basically pretend like you represent the entire country and, you know, Democrats aren't Americans, only
[46:28] Republicans, only MAGA Republicans, only MAGA Trump Republicans are real Americans. Um it logically is going to lead you to this kind of, you know, you end up fighting this war pretty much by yourself. And you know what? You You own it all by your [ __ ] self because you have no allies. I mean, even in your own country. I mean, he can't even drag the Republican Congress down with him cuz they didn't sign off on it. No, he didn't even consult them. No.
[46:58] So, I mean, I just question, Ted, and I mean I mean this sincerely. Why do we have a Congress if they don't do anything? What's the goal? What's the point? What do they do? I mean, apart from Lindsey Graham going to Disney by himself with his pink lollipop. Yeah, what's that about? What was he doing there? Do you have any idea? I couldn't figure it out. I don't know. I think that he's a pedo. I can't prove it, but I think he is. I think he diddles. Wouldn't be shocking. I mean, look, it's not No one's going to Let's just say if that turned out to be true, no one's
[47:29] going to say, "Not Lindsey Graham." Yeah, no, for sure. Um, let's see. Oh, thank you so much, Michelle Rosie, for reminding us don't miss the argument for birthright citizenship. Um, yeah, we're going to be talking the the US Supreme Court is about to hear oral arguments in Donald Donald Trump's executive order banning birthright citizenship. Robbie, you and I disagree fervently
[47:59] on on the constitutional interpretations of this case as well as the underlying ramifications of it. I mean, I think it's very clear this is settled law. I'm pretty sure the Trump administration will lose 9 to 0 even in front of this very friendly Supreme Court. I don't think they're going to get rid of birthright citizenship, but I think, you know, people need to look at countries where they don't have it like France, which I'm a dual citizenship citizen of, where they have first, second, third,
[48:30] fourth generation illegal immigrants who have no place to go back to cuz they're not really from anywhere but France, but they they're second class citizens, they can't really work legally, they're always living in the shadows. I mean, the
[49:35] >> They can't really work legally. They're always living in the shadows. I mean the problem I mean birthright citizenship creates problems but it's lack of birthright citizenship creates more problems. Uh No, and No, 100% you're 100% wrong. I mean, listen, this is a Supreme Court. If they adjudicate this the way that the 14th Amendment is written then they'll come down team Robbie. I think that you're right. I think Trump is going to lose. This is This is one place where Trump
[50:06] I can't believe I'm going to actually going to say this is right. Because he is. That the 14th Amendment had to do with freed slaves. Had nothing to do with immigration at all. And the the the the case I made for this for a historical precedent was Indian territory, the Dakota territories were all under the jurisdiction of the United States when that Amendment was ratified. Indians were born there were not American citizens. So uh I I don't know how you're able to
[50:37] overlook that historical fact when it comes to birthright citizenship for people who have no right to be here in the first place. Cuz the Indians that let's face it, they were here first. So if they're not citizens when they're born here in territories of were claimed by the United States then then then how does that give citizenship to some to some lady who comes over here, pops a squat, fires out junior and then he has then he has citizenship. That is a an an inaccuracy you have to
[51:07] explain to me. Uh well, the thing is that the you know, there was that case um the um in 1898 with the Chinese-American dude that kind of settles this whole thing. I mean, it's about implication but I think it's I think it's considered settled law. Of course, we thought Roe v. Wade was settled law. No, Ted is dead. Hey, it's the Robbie show now. Ted is frozen. Awesome. So I know what the I know what Ted is is
[51:38] going to be talking about. I can't remember what the name of the Chinese dude was. Um I don't have it here in front of me. But basically he went to China, he uh came back and if I remember right, he was going to be deported and he was able to argue that he was uh that he should be able to have citizenship because he was here legally in the past. Where Ted and me disagree on is what determines how someone becomes a citizen.
[52:09] It's the argument that I make because the 14th Amendment, let's be honest, it was it was a very poorly written Amendment. Talks about if you're if if it talks about if you're born in the if you're born in the in territory that's the jurisdiction of the United States government of the of the US government. The argument that I make is that in 1865 when this Amendment was ratified, the Indian territories were under the jurisdiction of the United States government.
[52:40] That is a that is a undeniable fact. But they were not considered US citizens. The whole reason that that the that Amendment was even written was to grant citizenship to freed slaves. It had nothing to do with someone come across the Rio Grande or or uh or a baby tourism and that kind of thing. Could it have been written cleaner? Yeah, it should have been. It's vague. But in the context of the time >> that opening. But in the context of the
[53:10] time though, that's what I'm saying is that the Constitution's not a living document, it's a dead one. It means what it says, it says what it says. That's not what the Founding Fathers thought though, Robbie. I do want to answer the rest of these questions if we can. But the Founding Fathers were very clear that they didn't they thought the document should evolve and over time and that it should be subject to new interpretations as society changes. Well, of course. That's why we're able to amend the Constitution. It's difficult to do. You got to have the buy-in of three-quarters of the states but >> Oh my god. Robbie, speaking of which,
[53:42] for the first time in US history the President of the United States will be sitting in the audience for these oral arguments in this birthright citizenship case. Donald Trump has just arrived at the Supreme Court to do that. He had threatened to do that but now he's doing it. It's always been viewed as something that the a sitting president ought not to do because it would be viewed as an as an interference with the judiciary. Well, it's just I mean, he has the right to, obviously. Yeah, no, he is. And It's
[54:16] tacky. No, well, it's tacky but it's Trump. What about him isn't tacky? He has gold toilets. True. He he he does tacky. But at the end of the day though, no, Trump's going to lose on this. Really, it's I I think the nation as a whole is going to lose on this. Either we have laws or they or we don't. Either we enforce the laws or we don't. And really at what needs to happen is that Well, at at this point I don't know if it even matters. People need to People need to start focusing more on
[54:48] local elections and realize the federal government is a total loss. Well, that's that is a bigger topic for another time because he's only got a few minutes left, Robbie. And by the way, I want to take issue with a few of the people in the chat in the chat who were saying that you know, we we kind of lie about whether John's going to be here or not. We have never lied about whether John's going to be here or not. We always tell you exactly what we know uh and we knew and we told you throughout the show John's not going to be here in
[55:18] this hour but he will be here at 12:00 noon Eastern time. Um so that's uh you know, it's if you don't like me, you don't like Robbie or you don't like both of us, you know, you don't have to stay here. It's it's fine. It's a big internet. Uh but we do hope you stay but we we wouldn't you know John tease you to keep you around. Okay? So um Now, he'll be here later on today for the call-in show. And listen, that you know at the top of the show when we first started, we explained that he was having to travel and he had to go to the
[55:49] airport early because the TSA lines are are so crazy and insane. That's right. Uh that's if John's travel schedule is a impediment to you um maybe you need to get yourself a life. That's true. Not to mention uh there have been a couple of times where we weren't sure whether John would be able to join us cuz he was flying in somewhere and he would try to get off the plane and sometimes that's happened and sometimes it hasn't happened. And that's but again uh we're clear about being are certain to we're if we're certain about being uncertain, we tell
[56:21] you about that, too. Um DK's D Cast, thanks for the $9.99. As a respiratory therapist of 22 years, God bless you. I have asthma. The money being spent on this war could not only improve and upgrade health care services but make it affordable and even free for some groups. No question about that. Meow meow meow thanks for the $1.99. Please have John spell out I cup and since Trump man child thanks for the buck has effectively torched our global reputation as the damage to our alliance
[56:52] is now permanent. Are actually a way back? That's a big question. Robbie, let's make that the first question in the Q&A at 12:00 noon Eastern time with John Kiriakou and myself and Robbie, you'll be sitting in as well. Uh it's all Q&A. Ask us anything you want. That's live in two hours. Please stay tuned. Right now for the TMI show with Ted Rall and Manila Chan. That's coming up right now. Robbie, thank you so much for filling in for John and we will see all of you guys back for the regular show at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time
[57:26] tomorrow, Thursday, April 2nd. Thanks. Bye. >> [music]