Editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) take aim at a profession they know too well: newspaper and magazine editors.

In an industry already bleeding staff, shrinking pages, and outsourcing judgment to lawyers, metrics, and social-media panic, the last people standing between a sharp cartoon and the reader are often the ones who sand it down, spike it, or rewrite the caption until it means nothing.

Ted and Scott swap war stories from the newsroom: the editor who “doesn’t get it,” the one who is terrified of letters from subscribers, the one who treats satire like a liability memo, and the rare good one who actually fights for the work.

They ask the questions cartoonists mutter after deadline: When did “edit” start meaning “neuter”? Are editors protecting the paper—or protecting themselves? How much of the crisis in political cartooning is the cartoonists, and how much is the people who approve (or kill) the drawings? And if newspapers keep hiring editors who don’t understand visual satire, why keep running cartoons at all?

The DMZ America Podcast is recorded by political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis.

X: @tedrall and @scottstantis

Web: rall.com

Editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) are joined by legal expert Ricardo Aparicio to ask the question: What the heck is going on at the US Supreme Court?

The nation’s highest court, once presumed to be nonpartisan, has become brazenly political.

In Trump v. United States (July 1, 2024), the Court created absolute immunity for “core” constitutional powers by former presidents (pardons, vetoes, commanding the military, directing the Justice Department), and presumptive immunity for other official acts inside the “outer perimeter” of the job. Prosecutors can try to rebut that presumption, but they cannot use official-act evidence or the president’s motives to prove a crime.

In 2026 the Court let the president fire independent-agency heads at will, wiping out a 1935 limit that Congress wrote into statutes. Dissenters said that hands the president a power “unknown even to the English Crown” and collapses the separation of powers.

On the emergency docket it has also paused lower-court findings on mail-in voting and immigration raids, which critics say treats facts as optional.

Might SCOTUS enable the cancellation or nullification of the midterm elections?

Ricardo Aparicio, PhD, directs the Employee Engagement & Experience Council at The Conference Board. A former General Mills organization-effectiveness leader, he ran global engagement surveys covering more than 175,000 employees and helped the company post record scores. Earlier he marketed national brands at General Mills and Colgate-Palmolive. Born in Caracas, he lives in Minnesota and holds degrees from Cornell, Stanford, and the University of Minnesota.

Everywhere you look, people are getting told to STFU by censors afraid that truth-tellers might expose or offend them.

At Stars and Stripes, the Pentagon has fired editor Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer and Middle East reporter Lara Korte have been fired by the Pentagon. Not for anything they actually published or wanted to publish. Slavin told an interviewer he would fight “hypothetical censorship.” The DOD called that theoretical stance “insubordination.”

A song by Elizaveta Gyrdymova has been purged from the Russian version of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” because she’s a Russian who fled to Ukraine and criticizes Russia. Not to be outdone, Ukraine also purged the song—because she’s Russian.

Zelensky has officially sanctioned the popular Russian cartoon ‘Masha and the Bear’ in a step to ban the children’s show, accusing the producers of spreading “pro-Russian narratives” and threatening Ukrainian national security.

If your censorship victim dies, however, you might face blowback. Neutrogena broke its silence following the death of Hayden Panettiere and mounting backlash over the skincare brand's treatment of the actress, acknowledging that it made her "feel unsupported during a very difficult time." They fired her for talking about postpartum depression.

Editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) ask the question: Why don’t we censor the censors?

In a surprise turn, Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione admitted he stalked and shot Thompson in 2024 outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan. He potentially faces life in prison. The 28-year-old is also still facing state murder charges for Thompson’s death in New York.

He expressed no contrition, no remorse.

A 2025 poll of college students found that half view Luigi extremely or somewhat favorably, and nearly half believe the killing was justified. 81% viewed the victim unfavorably. One out of four Americans in general support Luigi.

Editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) grapple with the question: Why haven’t there been more Luigis?

How has the upset victory of progressive Abdul El-Sayed over a DNC/AIPAC-backed corporatist in Michigan transformed the Democratic Party? Drawing on historical precedent, editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) break it down on today’s DMZ America Podcast.

The Democratic Party is locked in a fierce internal civil war as progressive and Democratic Socialist insurgents surge against the centrist establishment. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated AIPAC-backed Rep. Haley Stevens in the Senate primary despite over $60 million in dark money, framing the race as a referendum on foreign influence and corporate power.

Similar upsets in New York, where Mamdani-backed candidates toppled incumbents, and victories in Colorado, Maine, and elsewhere have alarmed moderates.

Groups like Third Way are mobilizing millions to attack the Left within their own party, with strategists warning of a “schism” and labeling progressives “bomb-throwers.” The clash pits economic populism, antiwar stances, and young voters against the old guard’s focus on control and Israel. Establishment figures fear losing their grip on the DNC, while progressives argue the party’s corporate tilt caused recent losses and demand a bold new direction.

Get up to speed on a fascinating legal challenge to Big Tech by an independent web cartoonist. Editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) break it down on today’s DMZ America Podcast.

Who will win—cartoonists and creators, or Big Tech? Filipino cartoonist Elmer Saflor, who goes by pen name Superelmer, has filed a complaint against Memes App, LLC, the operator of Memes.ai and Memes AI Studio, for copyright infringement when they began selling a commercial template subscription plan that includes his viral cartoon “Running Away Balloon.”

The complaint asks the court to stop the defendants use of his comic and compel discovery to see how many ads used his work. If instances are found, Memes App could face statutory damages upwards of $150,000 per “willful infringement.”

By taking on the meme generator, Saflor may hit a wall if the court finds that his arguments apply to any meme generator and a finding in his favor could risk undercutting the entire meme ecosystem, Goldman said.

How has the upset victory of progressive Abdul El-Sayed over a DNC/AIPAC-backed corporatist in Michigan transformed the Democratic Party? Drawing on historical precedent, editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) break it down on today’s DMZ America Podcast.

The Democratic Party is locked in a fierce internal civil war as progressive and Democratic Socialist insurgents surge against the centrist establishment. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated AIPAC-backed Rep. Haley Stevens in the Senate primary despite over $60 million in dark money, framing the race as a referendum on foreign influence and corporate power.

Similar upsets in New York, where Mamdani-backed candidates toppled incumbents, and victories in Colorado, Maine, and elsewhere have alarmed moderates.

Groups like Third Way are mobilizing millions to attack the Left within their own party, with strategists warning of a “schism” and labeling progressives “bomb-throwers.” The clash pits economic populism, antiwar stances, and young voters against the old guard’s focus on control and Israel. Establishment figures fear losing their grip on the DNC, while progressives argue the party’s corporate tilt caused recent losses and demand a bold new direction.

Sarah F. Davidson joins editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) to check in on the Graphic Novels industry. (Ted has authored numerous graphic novels, including My War with Brian, The Stringer and The Year of Loving Dangerously.)

Sarah is a graphic novelist, colorist, and Professor of Sequential Art at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Creator of the award-winning Jackson’s Wilder Adventures series (ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children), she specializes in middle-grade comics filled with magic, nostalgia, and feel-good vibes. She has colored for major publishers including Random House, Feiwel & Friends, and Webtoon.

Support the show

The DMZ America Podcast is recorded weekly by political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis. 

Twitter/X: @scottstantis and @tedrall

Web: Rall.com

How will AI affect (or afflict) cartooning?

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping cartooning, hitting political cartooning especially hard while transforming the broader industry. In political cartooning, AI tools now generate satirical images in seconds, flooding social media with viral memes and caricatures that mimic editorial styles. This undercuts traditional artists who rely on sharp timing, cultural insight, and hand-drawn originality for publications. 

In general cartooning and illustration, generative AI has commoditized routine work. Studies show a surge in AI-generated images on platforms, driving human artists out and reducing commissions for illustrators and comic creators. San Diego Comic-Con banned AI art from its 2026 show, while animation faces massive job disruption—over 100,000 roles at risk. 

Artists adapt by using AI for rapid prototyping and backgrounds, focusing on human storytelling, emotion, and unique vision that machines still struggle to replicate. However, style theft, copyright battles, and market saturation remain major threats, forcing many to rethink careers. 

Editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right) explore the Brave New World of cartooning in the age of AI.

Support the show

The DMZ America Podcast is recorded weekly by political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis. 

Twitter/X: @scottstantis and @tedrall

Web: Rall.com

Pat Oliphant, one of the most influential political cartoonists of the 20th and 21st centuries, has died. Considering his legacy on DMZ are editorial cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left), Scott Stantis (from the Right) and Mike Thompson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American editorial cartoonist known for his sharp wit and bold, expressive style. Born in 1964, he is widely syndicated. Thompson’s work frequently appears in USA Today and other major outlets. 

Born Patrick Bruce Oliphant on July 24, 1935, in Adelaide, Australia, he began his career as a news illustrator for The Adelaide Advertiser before moving to the United States in 1964.

Hired by The Denver Post, Oliphant quickly gained national attention for his bold, fluid line work and savage wit. In 1974 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. His cartoons appeared in over 500 newspapers through universal syndication, making him a daily fixture in American political discourse for more than five decades.

Oliphant’s signature creation was “Punk,” a small, irreverent, tufted bird who often appeared in the corner of panels delivering a final dry or biting comment. His style blended elegant draftsmanship with ferocious satire, skewering presidents from Lyndon Johnson to Barack Obama with equal glee. He famously said he drew “not to change minds, but to make people angry enough to think.”

Later in life he expanded into sculpture and fine-art painting while continuing to produce cartoons. Oliphant’s work is held in major collections including the Library of Congress. He died in 2026 at age 90, leaving behind a legacy as a defining voice of modern American editorial cartooning.

Support the show

The DMZ America Podcast is recorded weekly by political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis. 

Twitter/X: @scottstantis and @tedrall

Web: Rall.com