On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Jan Jekielek, a senior editor at The Epoch Times, about his bestselling new book, “Killed To Order: China’s Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America’s Biggest Adversary".

On the news roundup, Zane and Varney discuss a CBS News investigation of potential hospice care fraud in California, a Wired article on how a top ranking DOJ official misled a judge regarding voter rolls, a New York Times story reporting that federal prosecutors failed to watch the video connected to a high-profile shooting in Minneapolis before charging the wounded man, and Roger Pielke Jr. Substack piece on the legacy of Al Gore’s influential 2006 book (and film) on climate change, “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Articles & Books Discussed in this Episode

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/us/minnesota-ice-shooting-video.html

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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Walter Curt – a podcaster and investigative journalist who operates The W.C. Dispatch - about how the Trump administration's push to open source some government payment systems and the rise of artificial intelligence are empowering citizen sleuths to track down fraud, waste and abuse.

In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss Peter Schweizer’s reporting from his new book, “The Invisible Coup,” about how China is exploiting America’s tradition of granting birthright citizenship, recent articles in the Washington Post, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal that indicate the legacy media is finally acknowledging some successes in the Iran War, and a ProPublica story and how Trump’s pardons of convicted swindlers throws into question his commitment to combatting fraud.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/4Xh9mvq32D0

Articles discussed in this podcast:

The W.C. Dispatch, https://wcdispatch.com/

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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Jacob Siegel about his masterful new book, “The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control,” which details how technology and progressivism have helped give rise to mass censorship, surveillance and propaganda.

In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss a California Post article on the ongoing epidemic of sexual abuse at public schools, pieces in Reason and the Daily Caller that look at how government subsidies and illegal immigration are beleaguering the trucking industry and making America’s roads less safe, and a Politico story on Russia’s efforts to make sure its soldiers and citizen can only communicate through government-controlled channels.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/Tgvz63kdZiw

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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Nancy Rommelmann about her recent RCI article about a man who became a MeToo scapegoat thanks to the New York Times.

On the News Roundup, Zane and Varney discuss Paul Sperry’s RCI exclusive report detailing new evidence of bias and misconduct in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of President Trump. They also dig into a Semafor piece on Trump’s penchant for answering his own phone, Fox News’ report on Swedish parents who lost their child because they were too Christian and a New York Times story reporting that the revered civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez, allegedly molested and raped girls as young as 12.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/odoRXB4Ittc

Articles and Documentaries Discussed in this Episode:

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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney use the new Netflix documentary “Cover-Up,” on investigative reporting legend Seymour Hersh as a springboard for a wide-ranging discussion with RCI contributor Aaron Maté about the decline of skepticism and rise of propaganda in the legacy media.

On this week’s News Roundup, Zane and Varney discuss a Washington Post article about Trump’s effort to remake the federal bureaucracy by firing and then hiring workers; two Wall Street Journal investigations of Medicaid and Medicare that suggest that in addition to fraud, waste and abuse, a near criminal lack of oversight costs taxpayers billions and a City Journal article on the politicization of sports reporting.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/-ZyNWgiL4z4

00:00 Intro

00:31 News Roundup: Trump Administration's Impact on Federal Workforce

05:29 Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Government

10:02 Politicization of Sports Writing

16:16 Interview with Aaron Mate on Netflix Seymour Hersh Documentary “Cover-Up”

29:04 Russiagate and Media Accountability

50:15 Conclusion and Upcoming Work

Articles and Documentaries Discussed in this Episode:

Washington Post: After Firing, Trump Admin Now Hiring 
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/after-slashing-federal-jobs-trump-administration-ramps-up-hiring/ar-AA1XOlP3?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Wall Street Journal: Seniors Pay for Medicare Overpayments
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/seniors-paid-billions-in-extra-premiums-due-to-alleged-medicare-overpayments-d41f5d79?mod=RSSMSN

Wall Street Journal: Autism Therapy Is Medicaid’s Fastest-Growing Jackpot
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/the-boom-in-autism-therapy-is-medicaid-s-fastest-growing-jackpot/ar-AA1XWJa7?ocid=BingNewsSerp

City Journal: How Sports Journalism Lurched Leftward
https://www.city-journal.org/article/sports-journalism-writers-media-politics

Seymour Hersh Trailer: “Cover-Up”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CxEnECKs9U&t=3s

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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with RCI contributor John Murawski about his article detailing the backlash against policies adopted by thousands of public schools that aim to conceal the gender identity of trans students from their parents.  

In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss an NBC News report about Iran’s reliance on cheap and simple to make drones, a CNN article on the high-tech wizardry Israel has deployed to track and kill Iranian scientists and leaders, a Tablet piece reporting that China may not be as strong as commonly portrayed and an Atlantic report that Cuba may be Trump’s next target. They also discuss Ana Kasparian’s recent article for RCI about chronic fraud and mismanagement in California’s Medi-Cal system and the “billionaire’s tax” leaders are pitching to fund but not reform the $200 billion system.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: News Roundup with Peder Zane and James Varney

01:00 Global Military Dynamics and Drone Warfare

06:15 China's Influence and Economic Challenges

08:11 Cuba's Political Landscape and U.S. Relations

11:30 California's Medi-Cal System and Government Fraud

15:12 Interview with John Murawski

16:30 Backlash Against School Policies on Gender Identity

19:00 Legal Challenges and Parental Rights in Education

23:48 Cultural Shifts and the Role of Parents

31:19 The Impact of Social Media on Gender Identity

37:18 The Cultural Revolution and Identity PoliticsYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/P3aFw3rjT6U

Articles mentioned in this Podcast:

John Murawski/RCI: Transparency: Suing Schools That Hide Trans Kids’ Identities From Parents
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/03/05/transparency_suing_schools_that_hide_trans_kids_identities_from_parents_1168501.html

Ana Kasparian/RCI: Can Billionaire Tax Cure California’s Healthcare Woes? https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/03/03/can_billionaire_tax_cure_californias_healthcare_woes_1167959.html

NBC News: Cheap, Effective and Battle-Tested by Russia: Iran Leans on Shahed Drones to Penetrate U.S. Defenses
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/shahed-drones-iran-us-war-ukraine-russia-rcna261285

CNN: Hacked Traffic Cameras and US Intelligence: How a Plot To Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Came Together
https://archive.is/NnZiX#selection-3417.13-3429.11

Tablet: Paper Dragon: Behind the Chinese illusion of strength
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/paper-dragon-china

Subscribe to RCI’s and other RealClear Newsletters here.
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/daily_newsletters/

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On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Jeremy Portnoy, a researcher for OpentheBooks.com who writes RCI’s Waste of the Day feature, about rampant fraud, waste and abuse in government spending.

In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss the Daily Caller’s report on Chinese researchers working on US defense projects, the Daily Mail’s article on a Chinese spy’s effort to recruit American figure skater Alysa Liu and the New York Times piece on Russia’s campaign to create mayhem across Europe.YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/UbbcWrjKLYA

0:00 Intro

01:33 Daily Caller: US Funded Defense Projects Riddled with Chinese Researchers

05:15 Daily Mail: Chinese Spies Tried to Turn Skater Aylsa Liu

07:04 New York Times: Ex-Cabbie Driving Russia’s Shadow War

10:30 RealClearInvestigations: Bad Bets: Massive EV Subsidies Not Paying Off 

13:18 Jeremy Portnoy, OpentheBooks.com, RCI’s Waste of the Day feature

Articles mentioned in this Podcast:

Subscribe to RCI’s and other RealClear Newsletters here.
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YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/2YcAFTe3L_A

Articles discussed in this podcast:

Paul D. Thacker for RCI: Deporting Censorship: US Targets UK
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/02/18/deporting_censorship_us_targets_key_ally_of_british_government_over_free_speech_1165667.html

New York Times: Obama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/us/politics/obama-trump-oral-history.html

RCI: Obama’s Fingerprints All Over Investigations of Trump And Clinton | RealClearInvestigations
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/01/22/obamas_fingerprints_all_over_investigations_of_trump_and_clinton_1160121.html

Reason: Report: The FBI bent its own rules to spy on 1,100 'sensitive' targets
https://reason.com/2026/02/16/the-fbi-bent-its-own-rules-to-spy-on-1100-sensitive-targets/

Guardian: No water or electricity, and children begging in streets filled with rubbish – but this is why I won’t leave Cuba | Cuba | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/13/no-water-or-electricity-and-children-begging-in-streets-filled-with-rubbish-but-this-is-why-i-wont-leave-cuba

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YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/W939iZBA-VU

RealClearInvestigations: Caring for Mom Is an Education in Scams and Fraud
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/02/10/caring_for_mom_is_an_education_in_scams_and_fraud_1163842.html

Wall Street Journal: Trump Admin Nepo Babies Love Their Crypto 
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/one-generation-runs-the-country-the-next-cashed-in-on-crypto/ar-AA1VTTn1?ocid=BingNewsSerp

New York Times: Ghislaine Maxwell’s Key Role in the Clinton Global Initiative 
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/us/politics/epstein-clintons-maxwell.html

New York Magazine: YouTubers Weaponized FOIA to Embarrass Young Women
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/body-cam-youtube-foia-abuse.html

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YOUTUBE:  https://youtu.be/j5MoleO39Kw

Read the articles discussed in this episode:

Mark Hemingway article for RealClearInvestigations: Model City: Portland’s Journey From Symbol of Chic to Shabby | RealClearInvestigations
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/02/05/model_city_portlands_journey_from_symbol_of_chic_to_shabby_1162950.html

Washington Free Beacon: Democrat Stacey Plaskett Called Epstein Her Friend, Gave Disgraced Pedophile Exclusive Information About Her Legislative Work
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/democrat-stacey-plaskett-called-epstein-her-friend-gave-disgraced-pedophile-exclusive-information-about-her-legislative-work-text-messages/

RealClearInvestigations: Paradise Lost: Jeffrey Epstein’s Legacy Still Clouds the U.S. Virgin Islands
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2025/05/21/paradise_lost_jeffrey_epsteins_legacy_still_clouds_the_us_virgin_islands_1111523.html

RealClearInvestigations: Power On: What PA’s Battle Over Climate Change Can Teach the Nation
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/02/03/power_on_what_pas_battle_over_climate_change_can_teach_the_nation_1162501.html

Washington Post: Homeland Security Targeting Americans with Secretive Legal Weapon
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/homeland-security-is-targeting-americans-with-this-secretive-legal-weapon/ar-AA1VyFoP?ocid=BingNewsSerp

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Watch each episode on the RealClearPolitics YouTube Channel

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