Freedom First Network

The G20 finance meeting turns into an international guest-list fight, artificial intelligence beats human writers in a surprising experiment, and a German artist creates a Hawaiian shirt designed to confuse AI surveillance cameras. Manila Chan, Ted Rall and Producer Robby break down the Trump administration's handling of the G20 finance meeting in Asheville, North Carolina—including Russia's return to the room, European objections and the exclusion of South Africa. The dispute raises a bigger question about how an organization designed for international economic cooperation functions when its members are simultaneously sanctioning and isolating one another. Then, a Villanova University study finds readers sometimes rated AI-generated short stories more highly than human-written ones—but their opinions changed when they were told AI was responsible. That launches a much bigger debate over whether AI can actually become creative, how recognizable machine-generated writing really is, and what happens to writers as the technology improves. Robby also gives an inside look at the ongoing development of Fang Chen AI, explaining why he's training Fang to understand complete thoughts and function as an editor rather than trying to build another general-purpose chatbot. Finally, the crew examines an $88 "digital camouflage" Hawaiian shirt designed by German artist Simon Weckert to confuse computer-vision systems. The experiment leads straight into a discussion about facial recognition, Flock cameras, government surveillance and whether citizens should have technological tools that make mass surveillance harder. And because this is TMI, somehow there are also otter attacks, rabid goats, bat boxes, polar bears, Teddy Roosevelt, Billy Possum, bison, Jeffrey Dahmer, postpartum psychosis, stolen cookies and an extended argument over the insanity defense. It made sense at the time.

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An NBC News crew reporting from the occupied West Bank was attacked while documenting Israeli settler violence against Palestinians. Correspondent Matt Bradley and his team were interviewing Palestinian woman Aida Ahmed Abdullah after she had reportedly been driven from her home when masked attackers arrived and assaulted the group with sticks and stones. The camera captured part of the attack before hitting the ground. The Palestinian woman was left unconscious and seriously injured. On The DeProgram, Ted Rall and Jamarl Thomas examine what the incident reveals about escalating settler violence, the treatment of Palestinians, the danger facing journalists covering the West Bank, and whether Israel is actually paying a meaningful international price as disturbing images continue reaching Western audiences. But that's only part of today's show. Ted and Jamarl also tear into Van Jones and the Democratic establishment's continued support for Israel, including the argument over conditioning American military aid and whether there is any meaningful distinction between supplying “defensive” and “offensive” weapons to a country accused of atrocities in Gaza and elsewhere. They also discuss: The Supreme Court and presidential power — A ruling over Trump's ballroom project becomes a much larger argument about congressional spending authority, standing, separation of powers and whether the presidency is effectively being permitted to ignore constitutional restraints. A potential mail-in ballot crisis before the midterms — The show examines claims attributed to a Postal Service whistleblower that new procedures could create an extraordinarily strict failure standard for processing mail-in ballots, potentially affecting large numbers of voters before November. The government targeting an anti-ICE activist — Laura Berlin created an interactive map identifying companies profiting from ICE operations using publicly available information. The hosts discuss reports that she has subsequently been flagged in government communications as a potential domestic-terrorism concern and what that could mean for First Amendment activity. Plus: Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Party politics, political apologies, AIPAC, Israel's international isolation, Trump, Project 2025 and the continuing erosion of institutional accountability. The DeProgram with Ted Rall and Jamarl Thomas — September 1, 2026.

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What happens when an online political influencer is simultaneously working inside the United States government? Recent reporting revealed that several conservative military veterans with large social-media audiences were quietly placed into civilian roles inside the Pentagon. Combined, three of the personalities discussed by Ben Swann have more than one million followers. Pentagon records reportedly showed at least two had active government email addresses connected to the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. The Pentagon, however, declined to explain exactly what their assignments were, how long they would last or whether the individuals were receiving taxpayer-funded salaries. Meanwhile, some continued producing political commentary supportive of Pentagon leadership without publicly disclosing their government roles to their audiences. Ben also examines the case of Geneca Pounds, better known online as Data Republican, who became a special government employee for the Defense Department while maintaining a prominent online presence. None of this automatically means the Pentagon is secretly paying influencers to propagandize Americans. In fact, whether some of these individuals are receiving government salaries remains one of the unanswered questions. But it raises an important transparency issue: Where does the independent influencer end and the government employee begin? On this episode of America Now with Ben Swann, Ben examines the history of government influence efforts, the Pentagon's previous use of military media analysts, and why today's relationship between government and online influencers deserves scrutiny.

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Can America's political system still be reformed—or are secession and collapse becoming more realistic possibilities? With Jamarl Thomas out, Robby West joins Ted Rall for a wide-ranging DeProgram Q&A that quickly turns into a debate about the future of the United States. Robby argues that Tucker Carlson is attempting to build something larger than another Republican faction: a populist movement willing to cross the traditional left-right divide, recruit dissidents from both parties and challenge the political establishment from the local level upward. But Ted asks the critical question: Can a movement led by a wealthy media figure actually become a grassroots rebellion? The discussion explores why third parties repeatedly fail, whether existing parties could instead be subjected to a political “hostile takeover,” why local elections may matter more than Washington, and whether Americans need to finally leave their partisan jerseys at home. Then things get darker. Robby openly supports the principle of secession and state sovereignty—but both he and Ted warn against romanticizing an uncontrolled American collapse. Without functioning institutions, food distribution and social cohesion, they argue that innocent people could die from hunger and deprivation long before political fantasies become reality. Also discussed: Tucker Carlson's story about a demonic encounter, Robby's belief in angels and the supernatural, whether America remains a genuine superpower after repeated foreign-policy failures, John Kiriakou's relationship with Tucker Carlson, Kiriakou's departure from DeProgram and move into a more controlled media environment, America's intellectual decline, and why authenticity matters more than making everyone agree with you. The DeProgram with Ted Rall — Q&A with Robby West.

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Eddie Yeranian joins Dr Michael Scheuer and Col Mike for this episode of Two Mikes.







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We now know more about CIA Director John Ratcliffe's mysterious trip to Moscow. The Kremlin has confirmed that Ratcliffe traveled to the Russian capital for contacts between American and Russian intelligence services. Ratcliffe reportedly did not meet directly with President Vladimir Putin, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Putin was immediately briefed on the results. Moscow described the intelligence contact as a “positive development.” That is dramatically different from the speculation that surrounded Ratcliffe's trip only hours earlier. Claims circulated that he had been expelled from Russia and that the U.S. Embassy was shutting down, while five E-6B Mercury aircraft associated with America's nuclear command-and-control system were reportedly airborne. Ben emphasizes that these aircraft conduct regular training and readiness missions and that their presence did not mean the United States was preparing for nuclear war. But one major question remains: What did Ratcliffe and Russian intelligence actually discuss? One unconfirmed report may offer an answer. The Hormuz Letter, citing two senior Iranian sources, reports that Ratcliffe asked Moscow to pressure Iran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The report also claims Russian entities connected to Iran could face additional American sanctions if Moscow refused to cooperate. Neither Washington nor Moscow has confirmed that account. If accurate, however, the situation would contain a remarkable irony. After years of sanctions designed to isolate Russia over the war in Ukraine, Washington may now be turning to Moscow for help resolving another conflict. On this episode of America Now with Ben Swann, Ben separates the confirmed facts from the speculation and examines what Ratcliffe's rare Moscow mission could tell us about U.S. policy toward Russia and Iran.

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America's beef industry is facing a remarkable combination of economic and biological pressures. The U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low, beef prices are near record highs, and USDA data cited by Ben Swann shows nearly 142,000 American farms disappeared between 2017 and 2022. At the same time, President Trump says the United States will purchase additional beef from Argentina as Washington attempts to lower prices. But supply problems extend far beyond economics. The spread of New World screwworm through Mexico led the United States to restrict Mexican cattle imports, while the CDC estimates that as many as 450,000 Americans may have developed alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially serious allergy to red meat associated with tick bites. And then there's a particularly unusual finding. Researchers from West Texas A&M University working with a Cargill researcher examined more than 20,000 finished cattle across 33 feedlots and documented lactation in nearly 20% of dairy-cross steers and approximately 15% of native steers. These are castrated male cattle—and researchers documented actual milk containing fat, protein and lactose. The cause remains uncertain. Researchers have pointed to excess body fat and resulting estrogen as one possibility. Questions have also been raised about hormonal growth implants, but the study did not contain the control group needed to determine whether implants played a role. On this episode of America Now with Ben Swann, Ben examines these seemingly separate stories and asks a larger question: What is happening to America's beef supply—and why are American cattle and American ranchers both disappearing?

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Should the government protect people from dangerous choices—or do adults have the right to knowingly take the risk? A new discussion over chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and professional football ignites a major argument on The DeProgram with Ted Rall and Jamarl Thomas. Ted argues that the prevalence and devastating consequences of brain injuries in football make the sport an occupational hazard unlike almost anything else in American life—and raises the provocative question of whether football should eventually be banned. Jamarl Thomas and Robby West push back. Their argument is about self-determination. Professional football players aren't being forced onto the field. The risks of repeated head trauma are increasingly understood, and players can make enormous amounts of money while voluntarily accepting those risks. If an informed adult wants to play football despite the possibility of permanent brain damage, should the government really have the authority to stop him? That disagreement opens a much larger debate about the nanny state, individual liberty and acceptable risk. We tolerate dangerous professions. We drive cars. People smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. Journalists voluntarily enter war zones. Ted counters that society already accepts government intervention when the consequences become severe enough, pointing to everything from airbags and highway guardrails to workplace safety regulations. Then the show turns to geopolitics. CIA Director John Ratcliffe's unusual trip to Moscow raises questions about what Washington wants from Russia as the Middle East conflict involving Iran continues. Ted, Jamarl and Robby consider whether the Trump administration could be attempting to pressure Moscow over its relationship with Tehran—and why Russia would have little reason to trust another Western agreement. The discussion expands into Donald Trump's credibility, American information warfare and what happens when political leaders produce so much noise that the public eventually stops believing anything at all. Ted draws on William Shirer's observations of Nazi Germany to ask whether overwhelming an information environment with contradictory claims can itself become a mechanism of political control. Finally, Ted turns to a largely forgotten danger in Central Asia. After discussing deadly mudslides along the Nepal-Tibet border, he recounts his journey to Lake Sarez in Tajikistan, where a massive natural dam created by a 1911 earthquake holds back an enormous body of water. Ted describes warnings that another major failure could send a catastrophic wall of water through Central Asia, potentially killing huge numbers of people and devastating agricultural land across the region. It's an episode about risk and who gets to decide what risks society is willing to tolerate—from a football field to international politics to disasters the world knows could happen but has chosen not to prevent. The DeProgram with Ted Rall and Jamarl Thomas — politics, foreign policy, culture and debate without the guardrails. Watch the full episode on YouTube:
Should Football Be Banned? | DeProgram with Ted Rall and Jamarl Thomas

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A U.S. military C-17 transport aircraft has made an unusual flight into Moscow as multiple media outlets report that CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to the Russian capital for meetings. What exactly happened remains unclear. The aircraft's arrival, location and timing were reported, but Ben Swann emphasizes that who or what was aboard the aircraft had not been established. Reports concerning Ratcliffe's trip cited unnamed sources, while official details about the reported meetings remained scarce. At the same time, vehicles carrying U.S. diplomatic plates were reportedly seen traveling through Moscow under police escort, while reports indicated Ukraine had been notified about the trip and asked to temporarily pause strikes against Russia during the visit. The timing makes the story especially significant. The war in Ukraine continues, U.S.-Russia diplomacy has struggled, and the conflict involving Iran has introduced another major geopolitical crisis. The Vatican's foreign minister was also reportedly in Moscow meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that same day. None of this establishes precisely what was discussed or who traveled aboard the American aircraft. But if the CIA director did travel to Moscow, it would represent a significant—and unusually direct—channel of communication between Washington and the Kremlin. On this episode, Ben Swann examines what we know, what remains unconfirmed, and why this mysterious Moscow visit deserves attention.

Catch our entire lineup of shows featuring hosts like Jeff Dornik, Shannon Joy, Ann Vandersteel, Patrick Howley, Ted Rall and Dr Michael Scheuer on Rumble, X and your favorite podcast platform.

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Flock cameras are spreading across America, giving law enforcement the ability to track vehicles across jurisdictions through automated license plate readers. Supporters say the technology helps police solve crimes. But what happens when surveillance infrastructure built for serious threats becomes part of everyday policing? On this episode, Ben Swann examines Flock cameras, the growing ability to track Americans' movements, and how technologies from companies such as Palantir can combine enormous amounts of information into increasingly sophisticated surveillance systems. The question isn't whether these technologies can help catch criminals. They can. The larger question is whether Americans are willing to sacrifice privacy by building an infrastructure capable of tracking virtually everyone in order to find the relatively few people committing crimes. How much surveillance is too much? America Now with Ben Swann

Catch our entire lineup of shows featuring hosts like Jeff Dornik, Shannon Joy, Ann Vandersteel, Patrick Howley, Ted Rall and Dr Michael Scheuer on Rumble, X and your favorite podcast platform.

Pickax is the primary home for Freedom First Network, so be sure to sign up for Pickax, and then follow and subscribe to FFN: https://pickax.com/freedomfirstnetwork